Best Places93251, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 93251, 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.
93251 ranks 29,289th 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 93251
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.
93251's strengths and weaknesses
Where 93251 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 177 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Household income$81,021 median, better than 61% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 55% of zip codes
Where 93251 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 93251
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 93251 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,021, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 93251's effective rate of 0.77%, 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 93251
93251 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 93251.
Who works in 93251, and how
Work in 93251 centers on agriculture & forestry and mining & oil & gas. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 98%
- Work from home 1%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 93251
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 93251.
What the weather is like in 93251, month by month
93251 sees roughly 177 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 93251
The nearest airport, Meadows Field, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 111 miles away.
The best schools in and around 93251
Schools across 93251 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mckittrick ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Midway ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
- Lost Hills ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- A. M. Thomas MiddleD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Shafter HighA · 75% proficient
- Wasco HighC− · 30% proficient
- Cuyama Valley HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 93251 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
93251 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 93251 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 93251
Is 93251 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 93251 ranks 29,289th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, quiet, and big-city access, 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 93251 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $247,591. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $81,021 median income, cost of living beats 35% of zip codes.
Is 93251 safe?
93251 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $575 per resident a year.
Compare 93251 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 93251. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 93251 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.
93251 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 93251: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 93251: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 93251: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 93251: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
93251 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.