Best Places29161, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29161, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
29161 ranks 29,085th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 29161
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.
29161's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29161 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 71% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 70% of zip codes
- Short commute23.3 minutes each way, better than 68% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 60% of zip codes
Where 29161 ranks low
- Household income$50,782 median, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29161
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29161 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $50,782, 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 29161'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29161
29161 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29161.
Who works in 29161, and how
Work in 29161 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 29161
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29161.
What the weather is like in 29161, month by month
29161 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 60, 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 | 60° | 47° | 35° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 51° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 80° | 66° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 29161
The nearest airport, Florence Regional, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 84 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29161
Schools across 29161 average a C, better than 39% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Delmae Heights ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
- Lucy T. Davis ElementaryC · 35% proficient
- Dewey-carter ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- John W. Moore MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- Spaulding MiddleB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- South Florence HighB+ · 53% proficient
- West Florence HighB+ · 51% proficient
- Lamar HighB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29161 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29161 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 29161 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 29161
Is 29161 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29161 ranks 29,085th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and state infrastructure, and lowest on low incomes and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29161 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $143,244. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $50,782 median income, cost of living beats 16% of zip codes.
Is 29161 safe?
29161 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $689 per resident a year.
Compare 29161 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29161. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29161 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.
29161 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29161: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29161: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29161: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29161: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29161 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.