Best Places92688, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92688, 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.
92688 ranks 1,498th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 92688
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.
92688's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92688 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 301 pleasant days a year, better than 99% of zip codes
- Household income$165,291 median, better than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 92688 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,494 a month, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92688
A household needs to earn about $236,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92688 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $165,291, 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 92688's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 92688
92688's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 92688.
Who works in 92688, and how
Work in 92688 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 92688
The coast is about 16 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 92688, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92688, month by month
92688 sees roughly 301 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 48. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 58° | 48° |
| April | 73° | 63° | 56° |
| July | 81° | 72° | 66° |
| October | 81° | 69° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 92688
John Wayne/Orange County sits about 15 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.5 million passengers in 2025, with 80 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 92688
Schools across 92688 average a B, better than 72% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Trabuco Hills HighA · 74% proficient
- Tesoro HighA · 70% proficient
- El Toro HighA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92688 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92688 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 92688 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92688 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 85% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 92688
Is 92688 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92688 ranks 1,498th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, high incomes, and big-city access, and lowest on air quality and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92688 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $918,718. The overall cost of living runs about 46% above the national average. Set against a $165,291 median income, cost of living beats 85% of zip codes.
Is 92688 safe?
Yes, 92688 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $318 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92688?
July highs average about 81 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 48. That works out to about 301 pleasant days a year, more than 99% of zip codes.
Is 92688 good for families?
Schools beat 72% of zip codes, crime safety beats 55%, and childcare runs $1,494 a month.
Compare 92688 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92688. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92688 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.
92688 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92688: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92688: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92688: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92688: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92688 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.