Best Places97918, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97918, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97918 ranks 19,104th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97918
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.
97918's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97918 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 139 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Short commute21.7 minutes each way, better than 77% of zip codes
Where 97918 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97918
A household needs to earn about $87,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97918 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $63,146, 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 97918's effective rate of 0.39%, 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 97918
97918's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97918.
Who works in 97918, and how
Work in 97918 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 97918
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97918.
What the weather is like in 97918, month by month
97918 sees roughly 139 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 97918
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field sits about 60 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 97918
Schools across 97918 average a C+, better than 48% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willowcreek Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Nyssa Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Vale Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vale Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Nyssa Middle SchoolD · 23% proficient
- Ontario Middle SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Nyssa High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Vale High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Ontario High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97918 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97918 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 97918 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97918
Is 97918 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97918 ranks 19,104th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and the weather, and lowest on tree cover and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97918 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $352,677. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $63,146 median income, cost of living beats 23% of zip codes.
Is 97918 safe?
Yes, 97918 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $365 per resident a year.
Compare 97918 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97918. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97918 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.
97918 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97918: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97918: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97918: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97918: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97918 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.