Best Places27009, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27009, 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.
27009 ranks 9,841st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 27009
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.
27009's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27009 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 27009 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27009
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27009 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,658, 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 27009's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27009
27009 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 27009.
Who works in 27009, and how
Work in 27009 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 27009
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 27009.
What the weather is like in 27009, month by month
27009 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 40° | 29° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 48° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 75° | 62° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 27009
The nearest airport, Piedmont Triad International, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27009
Schools across 27009 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pine Hall Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Walkertown ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southeastern Stokes Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Walkertown MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Stokes Early College High SchoolA · 77% proficient
- Walkertown HighB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27009 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27009 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 27009 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 27009
Is 27009 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27009 ranks 9,841st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, state finances, and low disaster risk, and lowest on biking and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27009 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $301,283. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $77,658 median income, cost of living beats 66% of zip codes.
Is 27009 safe?
Yes, 27009 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $249 per resident a year.
Compare 27009 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27009. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27009 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.
27009 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27009: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27009: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27009: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27009: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27009 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.