Best Places30234, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 30234, 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.
30234 ranks 22,154th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 30234
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.
30234's strengths and weaknesses
Where 30234 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$682 a month, better than 76% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 30234 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 24% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 30234
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 30234 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $72,527, 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 30234's effective rate of 0.84%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 30234
30234'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 30234.
Who works in 30234, and how
Work in 30234 centers on manufacturing and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 30234
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 30234.
What the weather is like in 30234, month by month
30234 sees roughly 93 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 45° | 37° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 52° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 70° |
| October | 75° | 64° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 30234
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International sits about 32 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 30234
Schools across 30234 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hampton L. Daughtry Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Unity Grove Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Stark Elementary SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Top middle schools
- Locust Grove MiddleC · 32% proficient
- Henderson Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Jackson High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Locust Grove HighD+ · 24% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 30234 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
30234 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 30234 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 30234
Is 30234 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 30234 ranks 22,154th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, few empty homes, and state finances, and lowest on noise and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 30234 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $254,838. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $72,527 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 30234 safe?
30234 is safer than 52% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $276 per resident a year.
Compare 30234 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 30234. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 30234 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.
30234 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 30234: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 30234: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 30234: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 30234: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
30234 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.