Best Places29016, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29016, 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.
29016 ranks 6,590th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on an educated workforce, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 29016
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.
29016's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29016 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 29016 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Short commute29.5 minutes each way, better than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29016
A household needs to earn about $83,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29016 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $98,075, 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 29016's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29016
29016'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 29016.
Who works in 29016, and how
Work in 29016 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 29016
29016 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 29016 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29016, month by month
29016 sees roughly 85 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 45° | 37° |
| April | 75° | 63° | 52° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 76° | 64° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 29016
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 71 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29016
Schools across 29016 average a B+, better than 77% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Brockman ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
- Round Top ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Lake Carolina Elementary Upper CampusB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Blythewood MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Longleaf MiddleC · 35% proficient
- Alcorn MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Blythewood HighA− · 66% proficient
- Westwood HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Fairfield Central HighC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29016 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29016 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 29016 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29016 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29016
Is 29016 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29016 ranks 6,590th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, a strong job market, and what local pay buys, and lowest on walkability and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29016 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $321,480. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $98,075 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 29016 safe?
29016 is safer than 30% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $495 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29016?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 55 with lows near 37. That works out to about 85 pleasant days a year, more than 51% of zip codes.
Is 29016 good for families?
Schools beat 77% of zip codes, crime safety beats 30%, and childcare runs $918 a month.
Compare 29016 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29016. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29016 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.
29016 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29016: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29016: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29016: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29016: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29016 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.