Best Places95323, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95323, 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.
95323 ranks 23,559th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. A weak job market pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on the weather.
The best neighborhoods in 95323
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.
95323's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95323 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 148 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 82% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 95323 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95323
A household needs to earn about $125,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95323 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $78,062, 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 95323's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 95323
95323's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 95323.
Who works in 95323, and how
Work in 95323 centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 95323
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 95323.
What the weather is like in 95323, month by month
95323 sees roughly 148 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 49° | 39° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 98° | 81° | 63° |
| October | 82° | 65° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 95323
The nearest airport, Merced Yosemite Regional, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International, about 68 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95323
Schools across 95323 average a D+, better than 16% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hickman ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Gratton ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Hickman CharterB · 49% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hickman MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Waterford JuniorD · 21% proficient
- Lucille Whitehead IntermediateD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Waterford HighD+ · 25% proficient
- Denair HighD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95323 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95323 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 95323 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95323
Is 95323 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95323 ranks 23,559th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, quiet, and big-city access, and lowest on a weak job market and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95323 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $491,999. The overall cost of living runs about 15% above the national average. Set against a $78,062 median income, cost of living beats 20% of zip codes.
Is 95323 safe?
95323 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $385 per resident a year.
Compare 95323 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95323. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95323 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.
95323 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95323: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95323: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95323: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95323: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95323 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.