Best Places29642, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29642, 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.
29642 ranks 7,638th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low property taxes, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29642
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.
29642's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29642 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 82% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 80% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 29642 ranks low
- Short commute30.6 minutes each way, better than only 26% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29642
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29642 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,601, 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 29642's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29642
29642'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 29642.
Who works in 29642, and how
Work in 29642 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 29642
29642 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 29642 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 29642, month by month
29642 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 42° | 31° |
| April | 74° | 60° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 76° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 29642
The nearest airport, Greenville Spartanburg International, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 96 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29642
Schools across 29642 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wren ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Powdersville ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Hunt Meadows ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wren MiddleA · 64% proficient
- Powdersville MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- Richard H. Gettys MiddleB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Powdersville HighA · 71% proficient
- Wren HighA− · 65% proficient
- Easley HighA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29642 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29642 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 29642 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29642 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29642
Is 29642 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29642 ranks 7,638th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and civic engagement, and lowest on long commutes 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 29642 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $292,935. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $83,601 median income, cost of living beats 76% of zip codes.
Is 29642 safe?
Yes, 29642 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $346 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29642?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 31. That works out to about 77 pleasant days a year, more than 38% of zip codes.
Is 29642 good for families?
Schools beat 80% of zip codes, crime safety beats 62%, and childcare runs $908 a month.
Compare 29642 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29642. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29642 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.
29642 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29642: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29642: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29642: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29642: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29642 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.