Best Places97886, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97886, 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.
97886 ranks 25,291st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97886
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.
97886's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97886 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 94% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 97886 ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute33.2 minutes each way, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97886
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97886 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,773, 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 97886'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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97886
97886 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97886.
Who works in 97886, and how
Work in 97886 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 97886
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97886.
What the weather is like in 97886, month by month
97886 sees roughly 96 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 93° | 78° | 62° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 97886
The nearest airport, Walla Walla Regional, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field, about 187 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97886
Schools across 97886 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Stella Mayfield Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Athena Elementary SchoolD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- Weston Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Mcloughlin High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
- Wallowa High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Weston-mcewen High SchoolC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97886 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97886 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 97886 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97886
Is 97886 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97886 ranks 25,291st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, fast internet, and quiet, and lowest on empty homes 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 97886 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $175,533. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $57,773 median income, cost of living beats 12% of zip codes.
Is 97886 safe?
Yes, 97886 is safer than 78% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
Compare 97886 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97886. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97886 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.
97886 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97886: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97886: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97886: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97886: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97886 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.