Best Places27909, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 27909, 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.
27909 ranks 20,756th 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 27909
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.
27909's strengths and weaknesses
Where 27909 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$661 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 27909 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 31% of zip codes
- School gradeC, better than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 27909
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 27909 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $70,049, 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 27909's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 27909
27909'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 27909.
Who works in 27909, and how
Work in 27909 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 27909
27909 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 27909 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 27909, month by month
27909 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 43° | 32° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 49° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 77° | 65° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 27909
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 27909
Schools across 27909 average a C, better than 34% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Grandy PrimaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Hertford GrammarB+ · 54% proficient
- Weeksville ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Camden IntermediateA · 60% proficient
- Perquimans County MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- River Road MiddleB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Elizabeth City Pasquotank Early CollegeA · 70% proficient
- Camden County HighA− · 63% proficient
- Northeast Academy Of Aerospace & AdvtechB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 27909 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
27909 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 27909 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 27909 suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 27909
Is 27909 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 27909 ranks 20,756th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, clean air, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on disaster risk and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 27909 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $238,347. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $70,049 median income, cost of living beats 43% of zip codes.
Is 27909 safe?
27909 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $468 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 27909?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 55 with lows near 32. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 27909 good for families?
Schools beat 34% of zip codes, crime safety beats 36%, and childcare runs $661 a month.
Compare 27909 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 27909. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 27909 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.
27909 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 27909: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 27909: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 27909: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 27909: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
27909 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.