Best Places29054, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29054, 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.
29054 ranks 10,726th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29054
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.
29054's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29054 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 29054 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Short commute31.2 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29054
A household needs to earn about $81,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29054 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $92,556, 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 29054's effective rate of 0.40%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29054
29054 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29054.
Who works in 29054, and how
Work in 29054 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 29054
29054 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 29054 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29054, month by month
29054 sees roughly 70 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 29054
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29054
Schools across 29054 average a C+, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rocky Creek ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Gilbert ElementaryC · 35% proficient
- Pelion ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pleasant Hill MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Gilbert MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
- Batesburg-leesville Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Lexington HighA− · 65% proficient
- Batesburg-leesville High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Gilbert HighC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29054 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29054 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 29054 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 29054
Is 29054 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29054 ranks 10,726th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, low property taxes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on summer heat and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29054 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $327,768. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $92,556 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 29054 safe?
Yes, 29054 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $314 per resident a year.
Compare 29054 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29054. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29054 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.
29054 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29054: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29054: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29054: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29054: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29054 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.