Best Places29205, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29205, 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.
29205 ranks 6,395th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29205
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.
29205's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29205 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute16.4 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 29205 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29205
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29205 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $84,686; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 29205's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 29205
29205 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29205.
Who works in 29205, and how
Work in 29205 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 29205
29205 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 77% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 29205 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29205, month by month
29205 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 47° | 36° |
| April | 80° | 66° | 52° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 29205
The nearest airport, Columbia Metro, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 85 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29205
Schools across 29205 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Brockman ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
- Brennen ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Rosewood ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Crayton MiddleA · 67% proficient
- Hand MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
- W. A. Perry MiddleF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- A. C. Flora HighA− · 65% proficient
- Dreher HighA− · 61% proficient
- C. A. Johnson HighD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29205 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29205 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 29205 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29205 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29205
Is 29205 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29205 ranks 6,395th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, an educated workforce, and walkability, and lowest on crime 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 29205 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $368,150. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $84,686 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 29205 safe?
29205 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $850 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29205?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 36. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 37% of zip codes.
Is 29205 good for families?
Schools beat 69% of zip codes, crime safety beats 7%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare 29205 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29205. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29205 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.
29205 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29205: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29205: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29205: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29205: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29205 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.