Best Places27551, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27551, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
27551 ranks 26,658th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 27551
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.
27551's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27551 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$622 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 27551 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27551
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27551 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $63,974, 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 27551's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27551
27551 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27551.
Who works in 27551, and how
Work in 27551 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 27551
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 27551.
What the weather is like in 27551, month by month
27551 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 39° | 28° |
| April | 74° | 59° | 45° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 75° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 27551
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 57 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 27551
Schools across 27551 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- South Hill ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Northside ElementaryD+ · 24% proficient
- Hollister Elementary Leadership AcademyD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Warren County MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Warren Early College HighA− · 60% proficient
- Northwest Halifax Collegiate And TechnicD− · 17% proficient
- Warren County HighD− · 14% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27551 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27551 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 27551 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 27551
Is 27551 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27551 ranks 26,658th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, a strong job market, and tree cover, and lowest on walkability and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27551 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $289,444. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $63,974 median income, cost of living beats 41% of zip codes.
Is 27551 safe?
27551 is safer than 10% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $664 per resident a year.
Compare 27551 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27551. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27551 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.
27551 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27551: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27551: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27551: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27551: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27551 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.