Best Places27603, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27603, 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.
27603 ranks 4,713th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 27603
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.
27603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27603 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 27603 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,193 a month, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 39% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27603
A household needs to earn about $107,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $92,028, 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 27603'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 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 27603
27603 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27603.
Who works in 27603, and how
Work in 27603 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 27603
27603 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 87% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 27603 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27603, month by month
27603 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 94° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 27603
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 15 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 27603
Schools across 27603 average a B+, better than 83% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Washington ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- The Exploris SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Ballentine ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Salem MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
- Ligon MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Apex MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
Top high schools
- Johnston Co Early College AcademyA+ · 85% proficient
- Vernon Malone College And Career AcademyA · 77% proficient
- Longleaf School Of The ArtsA · 73% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27603 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 27603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 27603 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 83% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 25% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 27603
Is 27603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27603 ranks 4,713th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, population health, and fast internet, and lowest on the weather and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $418,535. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $92,028 median income, cost of living beats 83% of zip codes.
Is 27603 safe?
27603 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $456 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 27603?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of zip codes.
Is 27603 good for families?
Schools beat 83% of zip codes, crime safety beats 39%, and childcare runs $1,193 a month.
Compare 27603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27603 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.
27603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27603 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.