Best Places92036, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92036, 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.
92036 ranks 26,220th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Disaster risk pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on a strong job market.
The best neighborhoods in 92036
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.
92036's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92036 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 137 pleasant days a year, better than 84% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 92036 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Short commute45.1 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92036
A household needs to earn about $140,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92036 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $89,826, 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 92036's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 92036
92036 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 92036.
Who works in 92036, and how
Work in 92036 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 34%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 92036
92036 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 92036 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92036, month by month
92036 sees roughly 137 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs April through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 51° | 35° |
| April | 76° | 58° | 42° |
| July | 93° | 74° | 56° |
| October | 85° | 64° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 92036
The nearest airport, McClellan-Palomar, is about 41 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 42 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92036
Schools across 92036 average a C, better than 35% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Spencer Valley ElementaryA+ · 90% proficient
- Descanso ElementaryC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pine Valley MiddleD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Julian HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Mountain Empire HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92036 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92036 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 92036 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 92036
Is 92036 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92036 ranks 26,220th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, quiet, and big-city access, and lowest on disaster risk and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92036 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $548,099. The overall cost of living runs about 23% above the national average. Set against a $89,826 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 92036 safe?
92036 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $399 per resident a year.
Compare 92036 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92036. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92036 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.
92036 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92036: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92036: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92036: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92036: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92036 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.