Best Places95329, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95329, 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.
95329 ranks 30,782nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 95329
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.
95329's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95329 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 141 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Household income$82,636 median, better than 63% of zip codes
Where 95329 ranks low
- Short commute60.1 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95329
A household needs to earn about $102,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95329 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $82,636, 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 95329's effective rate of 0.53%, 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 95329
95329 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 95329.
Who works in 95329, and how
Work in 95329 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 95329
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 95329.
What the weather is like in 95329, month by month
95329 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 100 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 50° | 41° |
| April | 77° | 61° | 48° |
| July | 100° | 83° | 65° |
| October | 83° | 66° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 95329
The nearest airport, Merced Yosemite Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International, about 88 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95329
Schools across 95329 average a D+, better than 11% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Snelling-merced Falls ElementaryC · 34% proficient
- Roberts Ferry Union ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
- Knights Ferry ElementaryC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Sonora HighC+ · 40% proficient
- Don Pedro HighD+ · 25% proficient
- Waterford HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95329 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95329 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 95329 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95329
Is 95329 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95329 ranks 30,782nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, the weather, and low property taxes, and lowest on long commutes and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95329 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $405,371. The overall cost of living runs about 7% above the national average. Set against a $82,636 median income, cost of living beats 41% of zip codes.
Is 95329 safe?
95329 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $394 per resident a year.
Compare 95329 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95329. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95329 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.
95329 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95329: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95329: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95329: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95329: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95329 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.