Best Places86314, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86314, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
86314 ranks 14,785th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 86314
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
86314's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86314 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 153 pleasant days a year, better than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 82% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 86314 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 26% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86314
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86314 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $70,297, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 86314's effective rate of 0.42%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 86314
86314 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 86314.
Who works in 86314, and how
Work in 86314 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 86314
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86314.
What the weather is like in 86314, month by month
86314 sees roughly 153 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 38° | 24° |
| April | 72° | 56° | 38° |
| July | 93° | 78° | 63° |
| October | 76° | 58° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 86314
The nearest airport, Prescott Regional/Ernest A Love Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 83 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86314
Schools across 86314 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Liberty Traditional SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Humboldt Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Granville Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bradshaw Mountain Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Acorn Montessori Charter SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Heritage Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc. - Prescott ValleyB+ · 53% proficient
- Bradshaw Mountain High SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Chino Valley High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86314 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86314 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 86314 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 86314 suits
Families
Schools land around the 26th percentile and crime safety beats 73%.
Common questions about living in 86314
Is 86314 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86314 ranks 14,785th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, low property taxes, and few empty homes, and lowest on air quality and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86314 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $378,012. The overall cost of living runs about 7% above the national average. Set against a $70,297 median income, cost of living beats 19% of zip codes.
Is 86314 safe?
Yes, 86314 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $269 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 86314?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 55 with lows near 24. That works out to about 153 pleasant days a year, more than 90% of zip codes.
Is 86314 good for families?
Schools beat 26% of zip codes, crime safety beats 73%, and childcare runs $924 a month.
Compare 86314 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86314. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86314 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
86314 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86314: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86314: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86314: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86314: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86314 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.