Best Places29812, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29812, 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.
29812 ranks 26,330th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 29812
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.
29812's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29812 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$469 a month, better than 96% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 84% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 70% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 29812 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29812
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29812 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,056, 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 29812'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, 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 29812
29812'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 29812.
Who works in 29812, and how
Work in 29812 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 29812
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29812.
What the weather is like in 29812, month by month
29812 sees roughly 103 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 47° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 54° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 79° | 66° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 29812
The nearest airport, Augusta Regional at Bush Field, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29812
Schools across 29812 average a C, better than 36% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Barnwell PrimaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Barnwell ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Barnwell HighC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29812 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29812 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 29812 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 29812
Is 29812 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29812 ranks 26,330th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a stable housing market, and quiet, and lowest on health outcomes and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29812 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $127,023. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $58,056 median income, cost of living beats 27% of zip codes.
Is 29812 safe?
29812 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $801 per resident a year.
Compare 29812 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29812. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29812 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.
29812 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29812: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29812: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29812: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29812: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29812 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.