Best Places95485, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95485, 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.
95485 ranks 22,708th 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 95485
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.
95485's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95485 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 96% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 125 pleasant days a year, better than 78% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Household income$95,200 median, better than 77% of zip codes
Where 95485 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95485
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95485 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $95,200; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 95485's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 95485
95485 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 95485.
Who works in 95485, and how
Work in 95485 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 95485
95485 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 95485 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 95485, month by month
95485 sees roughly 125 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 95485
The nearest airport, Charles M Schulz/Sonoma County, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 78 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95485
Schools across 95485 average a D+, better than 11% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Upper Lake ElementaryD+ · 23% proficient
- Lakeport ElementaryD · 20% proficient
- Lucerne ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Upper Lake MiddleD− · 17% proficient
- Terrace MiddleD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Clear Lake HighC− · 27% proficient
- Upper Lake HighD · 22% proficient
- Lower Lake HighD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95485 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95485 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 95485 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95485
Is 95485 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95485 ranks 22,708th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, transit, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95485 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $380,803. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $95,200 median income, cost of living beats 49% of zip codes.
Is 95485 safe?
95485 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $575 per resident a year.
Compare 95485 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95485. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95485 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.
95485 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95485: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95485: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95485: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95485: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95485 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.