Best Places27526, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27526, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
27526 ranks 2,194th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 27526
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.
27526's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27526 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 87% of zip codes
Where 27526 ranks low
- Short commute34.1 minutes each way, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,117 a month, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 29% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 40% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27526
A household needs to earn about $103,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27526 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $109,834, 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 27526's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27526
27526'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 27526.
Who works in 27526, and how
Work in 27526 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 26%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 27526
27526 has more late-night spots per resident than 67% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 27526 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27526, month by month
27526 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 35° |
| April | 76° | 63° | 52° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 76° | 64° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 27526
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 21 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 7.7 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 27526
Schools across 27526 average an A−, better than 87% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willow Springs ElementaryA · 71% proficient
- Ballentine ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- West Lake ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Holly Grove MiddleA · 65% proficient
- West Lake MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Fuquay-varina MiddleA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Vernon Malone College And Career AcademyA · 77% proficient
- Fuquay-varina HighA− · 65% proficient
- Harnett Central HighB · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27526 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27526 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 27526 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 27526 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes and 26% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 27526
Is 27526 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27526 ranks 2,194th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, a strong job market, and what local pay buys, and lowest on long commutes and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27526 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $403,043. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $109,834 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 27526 safe?
Yes, 27526 is safer than 78% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $259 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 27526?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 35. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 29% of zip codes.
Is 27526 good for families?
Schools beat 87% of zip codes, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $1,117 a month.
Compare 27526 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27526. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27526 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.
27526 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27526: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27526: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27526: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27526: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27526 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.