Best Places92231, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92231, 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.
92231 ranks 32,233rd 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 92231
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.
92231's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92231 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 191 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 77% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 66% of zip codes
Where 92231 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92231
A household needs to earn about $83,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92231 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $62,697, 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 92231's effective rate of 0.85%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 92231
92231 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 92231.
Who works in 92231, and how
Work in 92231 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 92231
92231 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 98% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 92231 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92231, month by month
92231 sees roughly 191 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 111 degrees. January highs sit near 71, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 55° | 41° |
| April | 91° | 73° | 56° |
| July | 111° | 95° | 80° |
| October | 93° | 76° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 92231
The nearest airport, Imperial County, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 99 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92231
Schools across 92231 average a D, better than 5% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mccabe ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Pine ElementaryD · 20% proficient
- Emmett S. Finley ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Heber ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Enrique Camarena Jr. HighD− · 13% proficient
- Holtville MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Southwest HighB− · 44% proficient
- Central Union HighB− · 42% proficient
- Calexico HighC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92231 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92231 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 92231 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92231 suits
Common questions about living in 92231
Is 92231 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92231 ranks 32,233rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, walkability, and cell coverage, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92231 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $317,217. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $62,697 median income, cost of living beats 13% of zip codes.
Is 92231 safe?
92231 is safer than 18% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $558 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92231?
July highs average about 111 degrees, and January highs near 71 with lows near 41. That works out to about 191 pleasant days a year, more than 97% of zip codes.
Is 92231 good for families?
Schools beat 5% of zip codes, crime safety beats 18%, and childcare runs $898 a month.
Compare 92231 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92231. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92231 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.
92231 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92231: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92231: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92231: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92231: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92231 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.