Best Places93203, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 93203, 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.
93203 ranks 31,235th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 93203
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.
93203's strengths and weaknesses
Where 93203 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 93203 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 93203
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 93203 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $52,665, 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 93203's effective rate of 0.94%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 93203
93203 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 93203.
Who works in 93203, and how
Work in 93203 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 93203
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 93203.
What the weather is like in 93203, month by month
93203 sees roughly 176 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 102 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 51° | 40° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 51° |
| July | 102° | 88° | 73° |
| October | 84° | 69° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 93203
The nearest airport, Meadows Field, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 74 miles away.
The best schools in and around 93203
Schools across 93203 average a C−, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cummings Valley ElementaryC+ · 37% proficient
- General Shafter ElementaryD+ · 22% proficient
- Bear Mountain ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jacobsen MiddleC− · 29% proficient
- El Tejon ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Haven Drive MiddleF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Ridgeview HighA+ · 95% proficient
- Foothill HighA · 75% proficient
- Arvin HighB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 93203 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
93203 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 93203 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 93203 suits
Common questions about living in 93203
Is 93203 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 93203 ranks 31,235th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, the weather, and walkability, and lowest on thin health care access and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 93203 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $262,538. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $52,665 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 93203 safe?
93203 is safer than 33% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $424 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 93203?
July highs average about 102 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 40. That works out to about 176 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of zip codes.
Is 93203 good for families?
Schools beat 18% of zip codes, crime safety beats 33%, and childcare runs $1,172 a month.
Compare 93203 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 93203. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 93203 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.
93203 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 93203: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 93203: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 93203: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 93203: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
93203 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.