Best Places27863, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27863, 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.
27863 ranks 8,220th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 27863
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.
27863's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27863 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 89% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 27863 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 32% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 33% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27863
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27863 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,878, 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 27863'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27863
27863 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27863.
Who works in 27863, and how
Work in 27863 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 27863
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 27863.
What the weather is like in 27863, month by month
27863 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 75° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 27863
The nearest airport, Pitt-Greenville, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27863
Schools across 27863 average an A−, better than 89% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Northeast ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Northwest ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Fremont Stars ElementaryB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Norwayne MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- North Johnston MiddleB · 46% proficient
Top high schools
- Wayne Early / Middle College HighA+ · 88% proficient
- Johnston Co Early College AcademyA+ · 85% proficient
- Greene Early College HighA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27863 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27863 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 27863 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 27863
Is 27863 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27863 ranks 8,220th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and fast internet, and lowest on disaster risk and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27863 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $197,021. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $81,878 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 27863 safe?
Yes, 27863 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $288 per resident a year.
Compare 27863 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27863. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27863 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.
27863 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27863: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27863: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27863: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27863: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27863 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.