Best Places92128, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92128, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
92128 ranks 1,777th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 92128
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.
92128's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92128 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 199 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$140,011 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 92128 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92128
A household needs to earn about $242,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92128 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $140,011, 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 92128's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 92128
92128 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 92128.
Who works in 92128, and how
Work in 92128 centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 92128
92128 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes. The coast is about 15 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 92128 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92128, month by month
92128 sees roughly 199 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 92128
The nearest airport, McClellan-Palomar, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 19 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92128
Schools across 92128 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Scripps Ranch HighA+ · 90% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92128 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92128 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 92128 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92128 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of zip codes and 28% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 97% of zip codes and health care access beats 80%.
Common questions about living in 92128
Is 92128 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92128 ranks 1,777th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on childcare costs and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92128 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $937,487. The overall cost of living runs about 38% above the national average. Set against a $140,011 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 92128 safe?
Yes, 92128 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92128?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 68 with lows near 35. That works out to about 199 pleasant days a year, more than 97% of zip codes.
Is 92128 good for families?
Schools beat 67% of zip codes, crime safety beats 70%, and childcare runs $1,432 a month.
Compare 92128 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92128. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92128 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.
92128 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92128: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92128: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92128: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92128: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92128 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.