Best Places12974, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 12974, 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.
12974 ranks 21,004th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Property taxes pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on tree cover.
The best neighborhoods in 12974
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.
12974's strengths and weaknesses
Where 12974 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 87% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 81% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 78% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 12974 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Short commute32.3 minutes each way, better than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 12974
A household needs to earn about $43,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 12974 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $60,445, 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 12974's effective rate of 1.72%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 12974
12974 runs older than the country, 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 12974.
Who works in 12974, and how
Work in 12974 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 12974
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 12974.
What the weather is like in 12974, month by month
12974 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 23° | 14° |
| April | 57° | 44° | 33° |
| July | 83° | 70° | 59° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 12974
The nearest airport, Patrick Leahy Burlington International, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 151 miles away.
The best schools in and around 12974
Schools across 12974 average an A−, better than 81% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Moriah Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Moriah Junior-senior High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 12974 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
12974 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 12974 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 12974
Is 12974 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 12974 ranks 21,004th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, clean air, and good schools, and lowest on property taxes and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 12974 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $146,127. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $60,445 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 12974 safe?
Yes, 12974 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $262 per resident a year.
Compare 12974 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 12974. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 12974 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.
12974 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 12974: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 12974: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 12974: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 12974: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
12974 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.