Best Places18081, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 18081, 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.
18081 ranks 3,190th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 18081
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.
18081's strengths and weaknesses
Where 18081 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 18081 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,200 a month, better than only 20% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 18081
A household needs to earn about $100,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 18081 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $88,456, 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 18081's effective rate of 1.28%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 18081
18081 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 18081.
Who works in 18081, and how
Work in 18081 centers on education and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 18081
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 18081.
What the weather is like in 18081, month by month
18081 sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 63° | 52° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 18081
The nearest airport, Lehigh Valley International, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 47 miles away.
The best schools in and around 18081
Schools across 18081 average an A, better than 97% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Springfield El SchA+ · 90% proficient
Top middle schools
- Palisades MsB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Palisades HsA+ · 90% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 18081 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
18081 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 18081 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 18081
Is 18081 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 18081 ranks 3,190th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, few empty homes, and good schools, and lowest on state infrastructure and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 18081 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $359,900. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $88,456 median income, cost of living beats 57% of zip codes.
Is 18081 safe?
Yes, 18081 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $208 per resident a year.
Compare 18081 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 18081. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 18081 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.
18081 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 18081: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 18081: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 18081: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 18081: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
18081 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.