Best Places29843, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 29843, 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.
29843 ranks 31,280th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 29843
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.
29843's strengths and weaknesses
Where 29843 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$503 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 77% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 70% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 104 pleasant days a year, better than 66% of zip codes
Where 29843 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Household income$52,220 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 29843
A household needs to earn about $22,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 29843 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,220, 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 29843's effective rate of 0.79%, 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 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 29843
29843 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 29843.
Who works in 29843, and how
Work in 29843 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 29843
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 29843.
What the weather is like in 29843, month by month
29843 sees roughly 104 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 29843
The nearest airport, Augusta Regional at Bush Field, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around 29843
Schools across 29843 average a D, better than 12% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Barnwell PrimaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Allendale-fairfax ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Barnwell ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
- Allendale-fairfax MiddleF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Barnwell HighC+ · 35% proficient
- Allendale Fairfax HighD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 29843 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
29843 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 29843 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 29843
Is 29843 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 29843 ranks 31,280th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a stable housing market, and quiet, and lowest on crime and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 29843 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $83,167. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $52,220 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 29843 safe?
29843 is safer than 5% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $998 per resident a year.
Compare 29843 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 29843. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 29843 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.
29843 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 29843: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 29843: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 29843: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 29843: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
29843 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.