Best Places30120, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 30120, 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.
30120 ranks 13,898th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on a strong job market, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 30120
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.
30120's strengths and weaknesses
Where 30120 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$650 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 30120 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 30120
A household needs to earn about $79,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 30120 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $89,365, 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 30120's effective rate of 0.68%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 30120
30120'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 30120.
Who works in 30120, and how
Work in 30120 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 30120
30120 has more late-night spots per resident than 66% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 30120 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 30120, month by month
30120 sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 42° | 32° |
| April | 76° | 61° | 48° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 30120
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International sits about 44 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 51.5 million passengers in 2025, with 278 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 30120
Schools across 30120 average a C, better than 35% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Burnt Hickory Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Euharlee Elementary SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Cloverleaf ElementaryC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sammy Mcclure Sr. Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Cartersville Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Adairsville Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Adairsville High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Woodland High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- North Paulding High SchoolC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 30120 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
30120 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 30120 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 30120 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 30120
Is 30120 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 30120 ranks 13,898th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, fast internet, and affordable childcare, and lowest on an overheated housing market and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 30120 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $309,088. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $89,365 median income, cost of living beats 76% of zip codes.
Is 30120 safe?
30120 is safer than 53% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $307 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 30120?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 55 with lows near 32. That works out to about 79 pleasant days a year, more than 43% of zip codes.
Is 30120 good for families?
Schools beat 35% of zip codes, crime safety beats 53%, and childcare runs $650 a month.
Compare 30120 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 30120. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 30120 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.
30120 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 30120: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 30120: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 30120: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 30120: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
30120 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.