Best Places96003, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96003, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
96003 ranks 20,047th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Summer heat pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on short commutes.
The best neighborhoods in 96003
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.
96003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96003 ranks high
- Short commute19.0 minutes each way, better than 88% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 85% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 116 pleasant days a year, better than 73% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 65% of zip codes
Where 96003 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96003
A household needs to earn about $101,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $78,237, 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 96003's effective rate of 0.72%, 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 96003
96003'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 96003.
Who works in 96003, and how
Work in 96003 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 96003
96003 has more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 96003 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 96003, month by month
96003 sees roughly 116 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 103 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 49° | 38° |
| April | 76° | 62° | 47° |
| July | 103° | 86° | 67° |
| October | 83° | 66° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 96003
The nearest airport, Redding Regional, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 139 miles away.
The best schools in and around 96003
Schools across 96003 average a C+, better than 50% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Junction ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- North Cow Creek ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Redding Stem AcademyB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mountain View MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Sequoia MiddleC · 32% proficient
- Parsons Junior HighC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Shasta HighA− · 60% proficient
- Central Valley HighB+ · 53% proficient
- Foothill HighB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96003 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 96003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 96003 suits
Families
Schools land around the 50th percentile and crime safety beats 65%.
Common questions about living in 96003
Is 96003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96003 ranks 20,047th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, transit, and biking, 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 96003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $391,350. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $78,237 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 96003 safe?
Yes, 96003 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $286 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 96003?
July highs average about 103 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 38. That works out to about 116 pleasant days a year, more than 73% of zip codes.
Is 96003 good for families?
Schools beat 50% of zip codes, crime safety beats 65%, and childcare runs $1,036 a month.
Compare 96003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96003 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.
96003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96003 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.