Best Places96109, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96109, 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.
96109 ranks 32,802nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 96109
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.
96109's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96109 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 166 pleasant days a year, better than 93% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Short commute22.3 minutes each way, better than 74% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 71% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 96109 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96109
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96109 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $45,929, 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 96109's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 96109
96109 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96109.
Who works in 96109, and how
Work in 96109 centers on public administration 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 77%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 96109
96109 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 95% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 96109 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 96109, month by month
96109 sees roughly 166 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 33° | 23° |
| April | 62° | 47° | 33° |
| July | 90° | 74° | 54° |
| October | 67° | 50° | 34° |
Flying in and out of 96109
The nearest airport, Reno/Tahoe International, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around 96109
Schools across 96109 average a D, better than 8% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sierra PrimaryD− · 16% proficient
Top middle schools
- Fort Sage MiddleD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Herlong HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96109 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96109 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 96109 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 96109
Is 96109 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96109 ranks 32,802nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, transit, and short commutes, and lowest on a weak job market and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 96109 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $250,923. The overall cost of living runs about 14% above the national average. Set against a $45,929 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 96109 safe?
96109 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $837 per resident a year.
Compare 96109 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96109. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96109 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.
96109 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96109: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96109: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96109: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96109: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96109 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.