Best Places29036, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29036, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
29036 ranks 2,834th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29036
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.
29036's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29036 ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 92% of zip codes
Where 29036 ranks low
- Short commute34.8 minutes each way, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 37% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 41% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29036
A household needs to earn about $103,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29036 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $114,116, 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 29036's effective rate of 0.53%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29036
29036 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29036.
Who works in 29036, and how
Work in 29036 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 29036
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29036.
What the weather is like in 29036, month by month
29036 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 47° | 35° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 51° |
| July | 95° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 29036
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 78 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29036
Schools across 29036 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Murray ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- Ballentine ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Little Mountain ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chapin IntermediateA · 64% proficient
- Batesburg-leesville Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Spring Hill HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Chapin HighA+ · 80% proficient
- Batesburg-leesville High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29036 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29036 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 29036 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29036 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29036
Is 29036 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29036 ranks 2,834th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on health care access, what local pay buys, and civic engagement, and lowest on long commutes and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29036 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $407,712. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $114,116 median income, cost of living beats 94% of zip codes.
Is 29036 safe?
Yes, 29036 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $287 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29036?
July highs average about 95 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 35. That works out to about 80 pleasant days a year, more than 44% of zip codes.
Is 29036 good for families?
Schools beat 92% of zip codes, crime safety beats 76%, and childcare runs $909 a month.
Compare 29036 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29036. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29036 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.
29036 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29036: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29036: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29036: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29036: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29036 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.