Best Places92281, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92281, 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.
92281 ranks 32,607th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 92281
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.
92281's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92281 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 193 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 72% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 70% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 92281 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92281
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92281 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $38,342, 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 92281's effective rate of 0.65%, 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 92281
92281 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 92281.
Who works in 92281, and how
Work in 92281 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 92281
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 92281.
What the weather is like in 92281, month by month
92281 sees roughly 193 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 92281
The nearest airport, Imperial County, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 93 miles away.
The best schools in and around 92281
Schools across 92281 average a D, better than 7% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Phil D. Swing ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Westmorland ElementaryD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Barbara Worth Junior HighD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Brawley Union HighC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92281 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92281 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 92281 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 92281
Is 92281 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92281 ranks 32,607th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, walkability, and cell coverage, and lowest on education levels and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92281 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $298,942. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $38,342 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 92281 safe?
92281 is safer than 11% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $665 per resident a year.
Compare 92281 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92281. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92281 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.
92281 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92281: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92281: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92281: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92281: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92281 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.