Best Places86508, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86508, 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.
86508 ranks 33,103rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 86508
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.
86508's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86508 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 158 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 86508 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86508
A household needs to earn about $9,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86508 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $25,000, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 a national 0.90% effective rate, since no local rate is published, 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 1 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 86508
86508 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 86508.
Who works in 86508, and how
Work in 86508 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 86508
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86508.
What the weather is like in 86508, month by month
86508 sees roughly 158 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 29° | 12° |
| April | 69° | 50° | 28° |
| July | 92° | 74° | 54° |
| October | 72° | 51° | 31° |
Flying in and out of 86508
The nearest airport, Show Low Regional, is about 90 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 141 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86508
Schools across 86508 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sanders Elementary SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sanders Middle SchoolF · 4% proficient
Top high schools
- Valley High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86508 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86508 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 86508 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86508
Is 86508 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86508 ranks 33,103rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, a stable housing market, and low disaster risk, and lowest on a weak job market and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86508 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $34,000. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $25,000 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 86508 safe?
86508 is safer than 3% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $928 per resident a year.
Compare 86508 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86508. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86508 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.
86508 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86508: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86508: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86508: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86508: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86508 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.