Best Places12863, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 12863, 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.
12863 ranks 13,189th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 12863
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.
12863's strengths and weaknesses
Where 12863 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 97% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 12863 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,308 a month, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 12863
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 12863 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $67,500, 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 12863's effective rate of 1.00%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 12863
12863 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 12863.
Who works in 12863, and how
Work in 12863 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 12863
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 12863.
What the weather is like in 12863, month by month
12863 sees roughly 74 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 12863
The nearest airport, Albany International, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 100 miles away.
The best schools in and around 12863
Schools across 12863 average an A, better than 97% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Geyser Road Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Milton Terrace Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Wood Road Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Maple Avenue Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Ballston Spa Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Saratoga Springs High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
- Ballston Spa Senior High SchoolA+ · 93% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 12863 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
12863 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 12863 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 12863
Is 12863 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 12863 ranks 13,189th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, good schools, and tree cover, and lowest on cell coverage and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 12863 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $306,900. The overall cost of living runs about 7% above the national average. Set against a $67,500 median income, cost of living beats 16% of zip codes.
Is 12863 safe?
Yes, 12863 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $138 per resident a year.
Compare 12863 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 12863. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 12863 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.
12863 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 12863: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 12863: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 12863: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 12863: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
12863 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.