Best Places97834, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97834, 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.
97834 ranks 21,321st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97834
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.
97834's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97834 ranks high
- Short commute11.6 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 158 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 97834 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$50,266 median, better than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97834
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97834 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $50,266, 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 97834'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 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 97834
97834 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97834.
Who works in 97834, and how
Work in 97834 centers on agriculture & forestry and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 97834
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97834.
What the weather is like in 97834, month by month
97834 sees roughly 158 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 29° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 45° | 29° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 47° |
| October | 65° | 46° | 30° |
Flying in and out of 97834
The nearest airport, Walla Walla Regional, is about 100 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97834
Schools across 97834 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Brooklyn Primary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Cambridge Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Council Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- South Baker Intermediate SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Enterprise High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Council Jr/sr High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Cambridge Middle/high SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97834 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97834 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 97834 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97834
Is 97834 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97834 ranks 21,321st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, clean air, and state infrastructure, and lowest on distance from a big city 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 97834 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $362,950. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $50,266 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 97834 safe?
Yes, 97834 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $297 per resident a year.
Compare 97834 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97834. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97834 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.
97834 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97834: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97834: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97834: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97834: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97834 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.