Best Places27870, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27870, 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.
27870 ranks 27,386th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 27870
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.
27870's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27870 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$666 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 27870 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Household income$51,878 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27870
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27870 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $51,878, 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 27870's effective rate of 1.01%, 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 27870
27870's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 27870.
Who works in 27870, and how
Work in 27870 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 27870
27870 has more parkland per resident than 74% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 65% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 27870 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27870, month by month
27870 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 39° | 31° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 27870
The nearest airport, Pitt-Greenville, is about 58 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 74 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27870
Schools across 27870 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Manning Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Belmont Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Aurelian Springs Institute Of Global LeaC− · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chaloner Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- William R Davie Middle S.t.e.m. AcademyD− · 19% proficient
- Weldon MiddleD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Roanoke Rapids Early College HighB+ · 52% proficient
- Roanoke Rapids High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Northwest Halifax Collegiate And TechnicD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27870 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27870 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 27870 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 27870 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 27870
Is 27870 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27870 ranks 27,386th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, cheap car insurance, and affordable childcare, and lowest on crime and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27870 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $141,203. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $51,878 median income, cost of living beats 17% of zip codes.
Is 27870 safe?
27870 is safer than 6% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $804 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 27870?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 31. That works out to about 78 pleasant days a year, more than 41% of zip codes.
Is 27870 good for families?
Schools beat 24% of zip codes, crime safety beats 6%, and childcare runs $666 a month.
Compare 27870 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27870. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27870 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.
27870 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27870: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27870: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27870: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27870: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27870 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.