Best Places86431, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86431, 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.
86431 ranks 20,947th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 86431
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.
86431's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86431 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute13.5 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 166 pleasant days a year, better than 93% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 86431 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86431
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86431 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $78,955; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 86431's effective rate of 0.39%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 86431
86431 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 86431.
Who works in 86431, and how
Work in 86431 centers on education and other services. Unemployment is low.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 86431
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86431.
What the weather is like in 86431, month by month
86431 sees roughly 166 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 102 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 43° | 30° |
| April | 79° | 62° | 44° |
| July | 102° | 87° | 70° |
| October | 83° | 65° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 86431
The nearest airport, Grand Canyon West, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Harry Reid International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86431
Schools across 86431 average a D, better than 8% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Black Mountain Elementary SchoolD− · 12% proficient
Top middle schools
- White Cliffs Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Lee Williams High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86431 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86431 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 86431 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86431
Is 86431 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86431 ranks 20,947th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, short commutes, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86431 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $324,400. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $78,955 median income, cost of living beats 63% of zip codes.
Is 86431 safe?
86431 is safer than 26% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $440 per resident a year.
Compare 86431 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86431. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86431 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.
86431 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86431: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86431: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86431: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86431: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86431 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.