Best Places96009, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96009, 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.
96009 ranks 32,658th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Internet speeds pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on the weather.
The best neighborhoods in 96009
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.
96009's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96009 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 123 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Short commute24.2 minutes each way, better than 63% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 58% of zip codes
Where 96009 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Household income$44,794 median, better than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96009
A household needs to earn about $44,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96009 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $44,794, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 96009's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 96009
96009 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96009.
Who works in 96009, and how
Work in 96009 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in 96009
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 96009.
What the weather is like in 96009, month by month
96009 sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 32° | 21° |
| April | 63° | 46° | 29° |
| July | 93° | 72° | 47° |
| October | 68° | 47° | 28° |
Flying in and out of 96009
The nearest airport, Redding Regional, is about 75 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 169 miles away.
The best schools in and around 96009
Schools across 96009 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Big Valley ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Big Valley Jr. Sr. HighF · 9% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96009 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96009 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 96009 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 96009
Is 96009 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96009 ranks 32,658th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, transit, and low property taxes, and lowest on internet speeds 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 96009 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $175,154. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $44,794 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 96009 safe?
96009 is safer than 26% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $439 per resident a year.
Compare 96009 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96009. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96009 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.
96009 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96009: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96009: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96009: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96009: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96009 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.