Best Places97906, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97906, 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.
97906 ranks 30,810th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97906
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.
97906's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97906 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 140 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 97906 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97906
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97906 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $50,651; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 97906's effective rate of 0.37%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97906
97906's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97906.
Who works in 97906, and how
Work in 97906 centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 97906
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97906.
What the weather is like in 97906, month by month
97906 sees roughly 140 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 68° | 53° | 37° |
| July | 98° | 81° | 62° |
| October | 68° | 52° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 97906
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field sits about 71 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 59 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 97906
Schools across 97906 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Jordan Valley Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Crane Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Willowcreek Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vale Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Nyssa Middle SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Jordan Valley High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Nyssa High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Vale High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97906 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97906 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 97906 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97906
Is 97906 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97906 ranks 30,810th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and the weather, and lowest on civic engagement and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97906 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $215,778. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $50,651 median income, cost of living beats 5% of zip codes.
Is 97906 safe?
97906 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $587 per resident a year.
Compare 97906 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97906. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97906 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.
97906 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97906: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97906: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97906: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97906: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97906 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.