Best Places95526, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95526, 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.
95526 ranks 32,841st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 95526
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.
95526's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95526 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 66% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 63% of zip codes
Where 95526 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$37,574 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95526
A household needs to earn about $99,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95526 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $37,574, 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 95526's effective rate of 0.65%, 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 95526
95526 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 95526.
Who works in 95526, and how
Work in 95526 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 95526
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 95526.
What the weather is like in 95526, month by month
95526 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 65 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 47° | 42° |
| April | 58° | 50° | 44° |
| July | 65° | 57° | 52° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 95526
The nearest airport, California Redwood Coast- Humboldt County, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 165 miles away.
The best schools in and around 95526
Schools across 95526 average a C−, better than 19% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Van Duzen ElementaryC− · 29% proficient
- Stanwood A. Murphy ElementaryC− · 27% proficient
- Maple Creek ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Arcata HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Fortuna Union HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95526 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95526 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 95526 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95526
Is 95526 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95526 ranks 32,841st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, clean air, and tree cover, and lowest on a weak job market and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 95526 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $385,373. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $37,574 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 95526 safe?
95526 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $568 per resident a year.
Compare 95526 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95526. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95526 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.
95526 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95526: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95526: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95526: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95526: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95526 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.