Best Places92253, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92253, 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.
92253 ranks 15,521st 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 92253
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.
92253's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92253 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 177 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Household income$107,716 median, better than 85% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 92253 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92253
A household needs to earn about $177,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92253 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $107,716, 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 92253's effective rate of 0.84%, 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 92253
92253 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 92253.
Who works in 92253, and how
Work in 92253 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 92253
92253 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 92253 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92253, month by month
92253 sees roughly 177 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 111 degrees. January highs sit near 72, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs January through April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72° | 55° | 39° |
| April | 92° | 75° | 57° |
| July | 111° | 96° | 77° |
| October | 94° | 75° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 92253
The nearest airport, Palm Springs International, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ontario International, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92253
Schools across 92253 average a C, better than 31% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gerald R. Ford ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Mountain Vista ElementaryD · 18% proficient
- Westside ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior HighD+ · 27% proficient
- La Quinta MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
- John Glenn Middle School Of International StudiesF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Palm Desert HighB · 48% proficient
- La Quinta HighB · 48% proficient
- Coachella Valley HighC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92253 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92253 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 92253 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92253 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 19% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 95% of zip codes and health care access beats 57%.
Common questions about living in 92253
Is 92253 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92253 ranks 15,521st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, biking, and fast internet, 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 92253 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $674,684. The overall cost of living runs about 24% above the national average. Set against a $107,716 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 92253 safe?
92253 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $370 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92253?
July highs average about 111 degrees, and January highs near 72 with lows near 39. That works out to about 177 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of zip codes.
Is 92253 good for families?
Schools beat 31% of zip codes, crime safety beats 44%, and childcare runs $1,337 a month.
Compare 92253 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92253. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92253 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.
92253 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92253: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92253: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92253: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92253: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92253 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.