Best Places12303, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 12303, 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.
12303 ranks 6,186th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 12303
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.
12303's strengths and weaknesses
Where 12303 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 89% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- School gradeB, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 12303 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,314 a month, better than only 14% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 12303
A household needs to earn about $76,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 12303 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,350, 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 12303's effective rate of 2.04%, 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 12303
12303'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 12303.
Who works in 12303, and how
Work in 12303 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 12303
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 12303.
What the weather is like in 12303, month by month
12303 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 28° | 21° |
| April | 57° | 50° | 41° |
| July | 84° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 62° | 55° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 12303
The nearest airport, Albany International, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 86 miles away.
The best schools in and around 12303
Schools across 12303 average a B, better than 82% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Saddlewood Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Pine Bush Elementary SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Guilderland Elementary SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
Top middle schools
- Farnsworth Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Lisha Kill Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Draper Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Guilderland High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
- Mohonasen Senior High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
- Colonie Central High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 12303 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
12303 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 12303 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 12303 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 70% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 12303
Is 12303 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 12303 ranks 6,186th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, clean air, and transit, and lowest on property taxes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 12303 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $247,298. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $93,350 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 12303 safe?
Yes, 12303 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $282 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 12303?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 33 with lows near 21. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 12303 good for families?
Schools beat 82% of zip codes, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $1,314 a month.
Compare 12303 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 12303. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 12303 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.
12303 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 12303: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 12303: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 12303: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 12303: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
12303 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.