Best Places27012, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27012, 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.
27012 ranks 2,493rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 27012
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.
27012's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27012 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 27012 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 71 pleasant days a year, better than only 27% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 40% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 45% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27012
A household needs to earn about $86,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27012 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,039, 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 27012'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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27012
27012 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27012.
Who works in 27012, and how
Work in 27012 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 27012
27012 has more late-night spots per resident than 82% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 27012 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27012, month by month
27012 sees roughly 71 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 27012
The nearest airport, Piedmont Triad International, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 64 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27012
Schools across 27012 average an A−, better than 91% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Shady Grove ElementaryA+ · 76% proficient
- Southwest ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- Lewisville ElementaryA · 71% proficient
Top middle schools
- Meadowlark MiddleA · 67% proficient
- William Ellis MiddleA · 66% proficient
- North Davidson MiddleA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Early College Of Forsyth CoA+ · 91% proficient
- West Forsyth HighA · 70% proficient
- North Davidson HighA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27012 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27012 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 27012 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 27012 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 86% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 27012
Is 27012 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27012 ranks 2,493rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, health care access, and good schools, and lowest on air quality and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27012 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $336,348. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $94,039 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 27012 safe?
Yes, 27012 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 27012?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 52 with lows near 29. That works out to about 71 pleasant days a year, more than 27% of zip codes.
Is 27012 good for families?
Schools beat 91% of zip codes, crime safety beats 73%, and childcare runs $821 a month.
Compare 27012 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27012. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27012 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.
27012 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27012: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27012: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27012: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27012: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27012 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.