Best Places95503, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95503, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
95503 ranks 20,914th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 95503
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.
95503's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95503 ranks high
- Short commute16.4 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 87% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 86% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 126 pleasant days a year, better than 79% of zip codes
Where 95503 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,269 a month, better than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95503
A household needs to earn about $115,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95503 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $78,876, 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 95503's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 95503
95503's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 95503.
Who works in 95503, and how
Work in 95503 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 95503
95503 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 74% of zip codes. The coast is about 9 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 95503 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 95503, month by month
95503 sees roughly 126 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 49° | 40° |
| April | 58° | 50° | 42° |
| July | 64° | 57° | 52° |
| October | 64° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 95503
The nearest airport, California Redwood Coast- Humboldt County, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 198 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95503
Schools across 95503 average a C−, better than 21% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Jacoby CreekA · 62% proficient
- Garfield ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Freshwater ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Freshwater Charter MiddleC− · 30% proficient
- Catherine L. Zane MiddleD · 24% proficient
- Winship MiddleD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Arcata HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Academy Of The RedwoodsB+ · 55% proficient
- Eureka Senior HighC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95503 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95503 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 95503 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 95503 suits
Common questions about living in 95503
Is 95503 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95503 ranks 20,914th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, clean air, and transit, and lowest on disaster risk and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95503 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $448,979. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $78,876 median income, cost of living beats 36% of zip codes.
Is 95503 safe?
95503 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $543 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 95503?
July highs average about 64 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 40. That works out to about 126 pleasant days a year, more than 79% of zip codes.
Is 95503 good for families?
Schools beat 21% of zip codes, crime safety beats 16%, and childcare runs $1,269 a month.
Compare 95503 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95503. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95503 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.
95503 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95503: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95503: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95503: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95503: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95503 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.