Best Places95451, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95451, 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.
95451 ranks 27,391st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 95451
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.
95451's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95451 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 123 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 76% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 74% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 95451 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Short commute34.0 minutes each way, better than only 13% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95451
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95451 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $75,716, 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 95451's effective rate of 0.71%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 95451
95451 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 95451.
Who works in 95451, and how
Work in 95451 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 95451
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 95451.
What the weather is like in 95451, month by month
95451 sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 47° | 38° |
| April | 74° | 57° | 42° |
| July | 98° | 76° | 56° |
| October | 82° | 61° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 95451
The nearest airport, Charles M Schulz/Sonoma County, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 67 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95451
Schools across 95451 average a D+, better than 16% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kelseyville ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Lakeport ElementaryD · 20% proficient
- Lower Lake ElementaryD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Terrace MiddleD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Clear Lake HighC− · 27% proficient
- Ed Donaldson Education CenterD+ · 25% proficient
- Kelseyville HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95451 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95451 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 95451 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95451
Is 95451 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95451 ranks 27,391st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, the weather, and big-city access, and lowest on summer heat and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95451 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $375,736. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $75,716 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 95451 safe?
95451 is safer than 20% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $532 per resident a year.
Compare 95451 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95451. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95451 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.
95451 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95451: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95451: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95451: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95451: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95451 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.