Best Places30520, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 30520, 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.
30520 ranks 23,638th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on affordable childcare, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 30520
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.
30520's strengths and weaknesses
Where 30520 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$571 a month, better than 87% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 77% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 30520 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Household income$56,685 median, better than only 19% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 30520
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 30520 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,685, 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 30520's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 30520
30520 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 30520.
Who works in 30520, and how
Work in 30520 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 30520
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 30520.
What the weather is like in 30520, month by month
30520 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 44° | 35° |
| April | 76° | 63° | 51° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 77° | 64° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 30520
The nearest airport, Greenville Spartanburg International, is about 62 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 91 miles away.
The best schools in and around 30520
Schools across 30520 average a C, better than 37% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Carnesville Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Royston Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- North Hart Elementary SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin County Middle SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Hart County Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Franklin County High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Hart County High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 30520 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
30520 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 30520 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 30520
Is 30520 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 30520 ranks 23,638th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low property taxes, and fast internet, and lowest on education levels and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 30520 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $143,386. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $56,685 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 30520 safe?
Yes, 30520 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $247 per resident a year.
Compare 30520 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 30520. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 30520 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.
30520 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 30520: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 30520: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 30520: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 30520: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
30520 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.