Best Places27596, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27596, 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.
27596 ranks 4,087th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 27596
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.
27596's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27596 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 27596 ranks low
- Short commute33.8 minutes each way, better than only 14% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 39% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27596
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27596 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $95,379; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 27596's effective rate of 0.65%, 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 27596
27596'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 27596.
Who works in 27596, and how
Work in 27596 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 27596
27596 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 27596 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27596, month by month
27596 sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 50, 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 | 50° | 40° | 32° |
| April | 72° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 27596
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 27596
Schools across 27596 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Youngsville ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Long Mill ElementaryB · 46% proficient
- Rolesville ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rolesville MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Wake Forest Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Cedar Creek MiddleB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Wake Early College Of Health And ScienceA+ · 88% proficient
- North Wake College And Career AcademyA · 79% proficient
- Franklin County Early CollegeA · 78% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27596 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27596 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 27596 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 27596
Is 27596 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27596 ranks 4,087th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, few empty homes, and state finances, and lowest on long commutes and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27596 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $381,232. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $95,379 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 27596 safe?
Yes, 27596 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $255 per resident a year.
Compare 27596 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27596. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27596 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.
27596 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27596: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27596: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27596: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27596: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27596 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.