Best Places29045, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29045, 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.
29045 ranks 9,136th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on what local pay buys, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 29045
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.
29045's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29045 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Household income$93,374 median, better than 75% of zip codes
Where 29045 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 33% of zip codes
- Short commute29.1 minutes each way, better than only 33% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29045
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29045 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,374, 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 29045's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 29045
29045'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 29045.
Who works in 29045, and how
Work in 29045 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 29045
29045 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 29045 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29045, month by month
29045 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 46° | 34° |
| April | 79° | 64° | 49° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 80° | 65° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 29045
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 73 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29045
Schools across 29045 average a B−, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wateree ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Muller Road MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- Bookman Road ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Blythewood MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Kelly Mill MiddleB · 47% proficient
- Leslie M. Stover MiddleC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Blythewood HighA− · 66% proficient
- Lugoff-elgin HighA− · 65% proficient
- Spring Valley HighA− · 59% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29045 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29045 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 29045 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29045 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 85% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29045
Is 29045 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29045 ranks 9,136th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, fast internet, and few empty homes, and lowest on the weather 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 29045 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $279,373. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $93,374 median income, cost of living beats 85% of zip codes.
Is 29045 safe?
Yes, 29045 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $369 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29045?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 34. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 29045 good for families?
Schools beat 62% of zip codes, crime safety beats 56%, and childcare runs $724 a month.
Compare 29045 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29045. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29045 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.
29045 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29045: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29045: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29045: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29045: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29045 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.