Best Places12977, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 12977, 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.
12977 ranks 13,675th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 12977
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.
12977's strengths and weaknesses
Where 12977 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute16.7 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 12977 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 12977
A household needs to earn about $134,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 12977 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $94,989, 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 12977's effective rate of 0.94%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 12977
12977 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, 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 12977.
Who works in 12977, and how
Work in 12977 centers on other services and wholesale trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 31%
- Work from home 57%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 12977
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 12977.
What the weather is like in 12977, month by month
12977 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 80 degrees. January highs sit near 28, with lows near 7. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 17° | 7° |
| April | 53° | 39° | 26° |
| July | 80° | 66° | 51° |
| October | 59° | 46° | 34° |
Flying in and out of 12977
The nearest airport, Adirondack Regional, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 178 miles away.
The best schools in and around 12977
Schools across 12977 average a B+, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Placid Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Petrova Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Saranac Lake Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Saranac Lake Senior High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
- Lake Placid Junior-senior High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 12977 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
12977 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 12977 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 12977
Is 12977 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 12977 ranks 13,675th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, short commutes, and a strong job market, and lowest on education levels and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 12977 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $503,262. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $94,989 median income, cost of living beats 61% of zip codes.
Is 12977 safe?
12977 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $570 per resident a year.
Compare 12977 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 12977. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 12977 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.
12977 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 12977: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 12977: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 12977: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 12977: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
12977 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.