Best Places96129, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 96129, 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.
96129 ranks 29,386th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 96129
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.
96129's strengths and weaknesses
Where 96129 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 163 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 64% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 63% of zip codes
Where 96129 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Short commute37.6 minutes each way, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 96129
A household needs to earn about $113,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 96129 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,420, 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 96129's effective rate of 0.82%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 96129
96129's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 96129.
Who works in 96129, and how
Work in 96129 centers on wholesale trade and arts & entertainment. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 0%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in 96129
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 96129.
What the weather is like in 96129, month by month
96129 sees roughly 163 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 96129
The nearest airport, Reno/Tahoe International, is about 38 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 100 miles away.
The best schools in and around 96129
Schools across 96129 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Quincy Junior/senior HighC · 33% proficient
- Loyalton HighC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 96129 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
96129 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 96129 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 96129
Is 96129 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 96129 ranks 29,386th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, fast internet, and quiet, and lowest on walkability and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 96129 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $432,800. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $54,420 median income, cost of living beats 9% of zip codes.
Is 96129 safe?
96129 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $445 per resident a year.
Compare 96129 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 96129. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 96129 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.
96129 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 96129: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 96129: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 96129: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 96129: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
96129 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.