Best Places97920, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97920, 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.
97920 ranks 31,498th 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 97920
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.
97920's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97920 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 148 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 97920 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97920
A household needs to earn about $52,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97920 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $45,000, 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 97920'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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97920
97920'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 97920.
Who works in 97920, and how
Work in 97920 centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 97920
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97920.
What the weather is like in 97920, month by month
97920 sees roughly 148 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 97920
Boise Air Trml/Gowen Field sits about 82 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 97920
Schools across 97920 average a C−, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willowcreek Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Vale Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vale Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- 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 97920 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97920 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 97920 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97920
Is 97920 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97920 ranks 31,498th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and the weather, and lowest on civic engagement and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97920 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $212,500. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $45,000 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 97920 safe?
97920 is safer than 33% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $469 per resident a year.
Compare 97920 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97920. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97920 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.
97920 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97920: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97920: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97920: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97920: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97920 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.