Best Places28114, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28114, 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.
28114 ranks 17,175th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28114
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.
28114's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28114 ranks high
- School gradeA−, better than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$675 a month, better than 77% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 28114 ranks low
- Household income$57,855 median, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28114
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28114 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,855, 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 28114'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28114
28114 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28114.
Who works in 28114, and how
Work in 28114 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 28114
28114 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 28114 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28114, month by month
28114 sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 51, 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 | 51° | 41° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 28114
The nearest airport, Greenville Spartanburg International, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 46 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28114
Schools across 28114 average an A−, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Springmore ElementaryA− · 61% proficient
- Harris Elementary SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Ellenboro Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
Top middle schools
- Crest MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- Chesnee MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- Chase Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Rutherford Early College High SchoolA+ · 93% proficient
- Cleveland EchsA+ · 83% proficient
- Chesnee HighB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28114 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28114 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 28114 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28114
Is 28114 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28114 ranks 17,175th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, state finances, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on low incomes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28114 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $164,059. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $57,855 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 28114 safe?
28114 is safer than 43% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $375 per resident a year.
Compare 28114 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28114. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28114 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.
28114 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28114: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28114: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28114: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28114: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28114 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.