Best Places92243, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92243, 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.
92243 ranks 30,788th 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 92243
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.
92243's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92243 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 192 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Short commute21.9 minutes each way, better than 76% of zip codes
Where 92243 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92243
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92243 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $65,944, 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 92243's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 92243
92243 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 92243.
Who works in 92243, and how
Work in 92243 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 88%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 92243
92243 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 92243 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92243, month by month
92243 sees roughly 192 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 92243
The nearest airport, Imperial County, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 94 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92243
Schools across 92243 average a C−, better than 33% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mccabe ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Ben Hulse ElementaryC · 34% proficient
- T. L. Waggoner ElementaryC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- Frank M. Wright MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Heber ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Holtville MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Southwest HighB− · 44% proficient
- Central Union HighB− · 42% proficient
- Imperial HighC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92243 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92243 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 92243 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92243 suits
Common questions about living in 92243
Is 92243 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92243 ranks 30,788th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, cell coverage, and walkability, 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 92243 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $298,014. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $65,944 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 92243 safe?
92243 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $563 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92243?
July highs average about 111 degrees, and January highs near 71 with lows near 41. That works out to about 192 pleasant days a year, more than 97% of zip codes.
Is 92243 good for families?
Schools beat 33% of zip codes, crime safety beats 15%, and childcare runs $898 a month.
Compare 92243 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92243. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92243 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.
92243 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92243: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92243: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92243: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92243: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92243 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.