Best PlacesOrchard, Oxnard, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Orchard, Oxnard, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Orchard, Oxnard ranks 3,656th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Orchard, Oxnard
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.
Orchard, Oxnard's strengths and weaknesses
Where Orchard, Oxnard ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 289 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
Where Orchard, Oxnard ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,601 a month, better than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Orchard, Oxnard
A household needs to earn about $154,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Orchard, Oxnard home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $86,300, 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 Orchard, Oxnard's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 Orchard, Oxnard
Orchard, Oxnard runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Orchard, Oxnard.
Who works in Orchard, Oxnard, and how
Work in Orchard, Oxnard centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Orchard, Oxnard
Orchard, Oxnard has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 7 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Orchard, Oxnard and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Orchard, Oxnard, month by month
Orchard, Oxnard sees roughly 289 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 73 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 46. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 56° | 46° |
| April | 68° | 58° | 50° |
| July | 73° | 66° | 60° |
| October | 76° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of Orchard, Oxnard
The nearest airport, Santa Barbara Municipal, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 47 miles away.
The best schools in and around Orchard, Oxnard
Schools across Orchard, Oxnard average a C, better than 39% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Rio Del NorteD− · 12% proficient
- Rio Lindo ElementaryD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rio Del Valle MiddleD · 20% proficient
- Rio Vista MiddleD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Rancho Campana HighA− · 65% proficient
- Pacifica HighC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Orchard, Oxnard school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Orchard, Oxnard 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 Orchard, Oxnard against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Orchard, Oxnard
Is Orchard, Oxnard a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Orchard, Oxnard ranks 3,656th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on the weather, heat safety, and clean air, and lowest on a weak job market and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Orchard, Oxnard expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $601,121. The overall cost of living runs about 18% above the national average. Set against a $86,300 median income, cost of living beats 38% of neighborhoods.
Is Orchard, Oxnard safe?
Yes, Orchard, Oxnard is safer than 61% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $410 per resident a year.
Compare Orchard, Oxnard with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Orchard, Oxnard. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Orchard, Oxnard 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.
Orchard, Oxnard detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Orchard, Oxnard: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Orchard, Oxnard: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Orchard, Oxnard: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Orchard, Oxnard: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Orchard, Oxnard 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.