Best Places96015, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96015, 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.
96015 ranks 30,371st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 96015
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.
96015's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96015 ranks high
- Short commute12.7 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 122 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 96015 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96015
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96015 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $55,689, 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 96015's effective rate of 0.66%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 96015
96015 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96015.
Who works in 96015, and how
Work in 96015 centers on transportation & warehousing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 96015
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 96015.
What the weather is like in 96015, month by month
96015 sees roughly 122 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 96015
The nearest airport, Redding Regional, is about 98 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 194 miles away.
The best schools in and around 96015
Schools across 96015 average a D, better than 9% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Alturas ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Big Valley ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Modoc MiddleD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Fall River Junior-senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Modoc HighD− · 17% proficient
- Big Valley Jr. Sr. HighF · 9% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96015 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96015 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 96015 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 96015
Is 96015 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96015 ranks 30,371st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, clean air, and a strong job market, and lowest on civic engagement and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 96015 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $288,531. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $55,689 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 96015 safe?
96015 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $563 per resident a year.
Compare 96015 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96015. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96015 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.
96015 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96015: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96015: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96015: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96015: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96015 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.