Best Places95968, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 95968, 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.
95968 ranks 32,685th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. A weak job market pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on the weather.
The best neighborhoods in 95968
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.
95968's strengths and weaknesses
Where 95968 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 133 pleasant days a year, better than 83% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 71% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 71% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 95968 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 95968
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 95968 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $48,598, 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 95968'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, 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 95968
95968'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 95968.
Who works in 95968, and how
Work in 95968 centers on construction and public administration. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 95968
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 95968.
What the weather is like in 95968, month by month
95968 sees roughly 133 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 100 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 50° | 41° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 100° | 83° | 66° |
| October | 82° | 66° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 95968
Sacramento International sits about 51 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 6.8 million passengers in 2025, with 85 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 95968
Schools across 95968 average a D+, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Golden Hills ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- PalermoF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Las Plumas HighC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 95968 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
95968 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 95968 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 95968
Is 95968 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 95968 ranks 32,685th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, transit, and few empty homes, 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 95968 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $260,738. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $48,598 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 95968 safe?
95968 is safer than 30% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $408 per resident a year.
Compare 95968 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 95968. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 95968 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.
95968 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 95968: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 95968: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 95968: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 95968: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
95968 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.