Best Places29803, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29803, 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.
29803 ranks 5,324th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29803
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.
29803's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29803 ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 29803 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 36% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$908 a month, better than only 45% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29803
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29803 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,037, 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 29803's effective rate of 0.45%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29803
29803 runs older 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 29803.
Who works in 29803, and how
Work in 29803 centers on manufacturing and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 29803
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29803.
What the weather is like in 29803, month by month
29803 sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 45° | 36° |
| April | 76° | 63° | 51° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 64° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 29803
The nearest airport, Augusta Regional at Bush Field, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 105 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29803
Schools across 29803 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chukker Creek ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Millbrook ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
- Redcliffe ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Ellenton Steam Magnet MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Langley-bath-clearwater MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Leavelle Mccampbell MiddleC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- South Aiken HighA− · 60% proficient
- Aiken HighB · 48% proficient
- Midland Valley HighB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29803 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29803 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 29803 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 29803 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 90% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 29803
Is 29803 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29803 ranks 5,324th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on health care access, what local pay buys, and low property taxes, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29803 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $308,498. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $94,037 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 29803 safe?
Yes, 29803 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $385 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 29803?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 36. That works out to about 88 pleasant days a year, more than 54% of zip codes.
Is 29803 good for families?
Schools beat 57% of zip codes, crime safety beats 55%, and childcare runs $908 a month.
Compare 29803 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29803. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29803 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.
29803 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29803: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29803: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29803: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29803: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29803 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.