Best Places93603, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 93603, 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.
93603 ranks 30,163rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 93603
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.
93603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 93603 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Short commute21.0 minutes each way, better than 81% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 121 pleasant days a year, better than 76% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 93603 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 93603
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 93603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $66,465, 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 93603's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 93603
93603 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 93603.
Who works in 93603, and how
Work in 93603 centers on agriculture & forestry and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 93603
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 93603.
What the weather is like in 93603, month by month
93603 sees roughly 121 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 100 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 79° | 63° | 47° |
| July | 100° | 83° | 64° |
| October | 83° | 65° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 93603
The nearest airport, Fresno Yosemite International, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International, about 170 miles away.
The best schools in and around 93603
Schools across 93603 average a D+, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Palm ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Castle Rock ElementaryD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- El Monte MiddleD · 21% proficient
- Woodlake Valley MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Orosi HighC+ · 38% proficient
- Woodlake HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 93603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
93603 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 93603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 93603
Is 93603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 93603 ranks 30,163rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, low property taxes, and short commutes, and lowest on air quality and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 93603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $387,453. The overall cost of living runs about 5% above the national average. Set against a $66,465 median income, cost of living beats 15% of zip codes.
Is 93603 safe?
93603 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $456 per resident a year.
Compare 93603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 93603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 93603 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.
93603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 93603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 93603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 93603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 93603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
93603 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.