Best Places29123, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29123, 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.
29123 ranks 22,033rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 29123
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.
29123's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29123 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 29123 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Short commute32.5 minutes each way, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29123
A household needs to earn about $34,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29123 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,074, 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 29123's effective rate of 0.50%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29123
29123'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 29123.
Who works in 29123, and how
Work in 29123 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 29123
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29123.
What the weather is like in 29123, month by month
29123 sees roughly 69 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 29123
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 93 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29123
Schools across 29123 average a D+, better than 16% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gilbert ElementaryC · 35% proficient
- Pelion ElementaryD · 20% proficient
- Forts Pond ElementaryD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gilbert MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
- Pelion MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Gilbert HighC+ · 35% proficient
- Pelion HighC− · 29% proficient
- Swansea HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29123 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29123 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 29123 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 29123
Is 29123 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29123 ranks 22,033rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, a stable housing market, and quiet, and lowest on education levels and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29123 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $135,597. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $66,074 median income, cost of living beats 41% of zip codes.
Is 29123 safe?
29123 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $409 per resident a year.
Compare 29123 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29123. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29123 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.
29123 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29123: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29123: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29123: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29123: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29123 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.