Best Places86436, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86436, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
86436 ranks 31,188th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 86436
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.
86436's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86436 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 194 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 86436 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Short commute37.4 minutes each way, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86436
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86436 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $55,181; 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 86436's effective rate of 0.48%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 86436
86436 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 86436.
Who works in 86436, and how
Work in 86436 centers on hospitality & food and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 86436
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86436.
What the weather is like in 86436, month by month
86436 sees roughly 194 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 113 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 55° | 43° |
| April | 91° | 76° | 60° |
| July | 113° | 101° | 86° |
| October | 91° | 77° | 63° |
Flying in and out of 86436
The nearest airport, Boulder City Municipal, is about 84 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Harry Reid International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86436
Schools across 86436 average a C−, better than 27% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Topock Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Camp Mohave Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thunderbolt Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
- Mohave Valley Junior High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Havasu High SchoolC · 31% proficient
- River Valley High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86436 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86436 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 86436 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86436
Is 86436 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86436 ranks 31,188th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, cell coverage, and a strong job market, and lowest on summer heat and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86436 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $230,971. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $55,181 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 86436 safe?
86436 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,924 per resident a year.
Compare 86436 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86436. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86436 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.
86436 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86436: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86436: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86436: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86436: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86436 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.