Best Places27208, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27208, 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.
27208 ranks 13,577th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 27208
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.
27208's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27208 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 84% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 27208 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Short commute29.3 minutes each way, better than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27208
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27208 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,612, 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 27208's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 27208
27208's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27208.
Who works in 27208, and how
Work in 27208 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 27208
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 27208.
What the weather is like in 27208, month by month
27208 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 41° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 60° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 27208
The nearest airport, Piedmont Triad International, is about 44 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 48 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27208
Schools across 27208 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bennett SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Highfalls ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
- Coleridge Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southeastern Randolph Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Randolph Early College High SchoolA+ · 93% proficient
- Chatham Central HighB+ · 55% proficient
- North Moore HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27208 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27208 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 27208 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 27208
Is 27208 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27208 ranks 13,577th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, quiet, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on cell coverage and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27208 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $183,106. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $78,612 median income, cost of living beats 51% of zip codes.
Is 27208 safe?
Yes, 27208 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $312 per resident a year.
Compare 27208 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27208. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27208 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.
27208 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27208: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27208: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27208: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27208: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27208 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.