Best Places30642, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 30642, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
30642 ranks 12,826th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 30642
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.
30642's strengths and weaknesses
Where 30642 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$502 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Household income$100,913 median, better than 81% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 30642 ranks low
- School gradeD, better than only 5% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 30642
A household needs to earn about $154,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 30642 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $100,913, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 30642's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 30642
30642 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 30642.
Who works in 30642, and how
Work in 30642 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 30642
30642 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 73% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 30642 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 30642, month by month
30642 sees roughly 113 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 46° | 38° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 78° | 66° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 30642
The nearest airport, Middle Georgia Regional, is about 62 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 71 miles away.
The best schools in and around 30642
Schools across 30642 average a D, better than 5% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Colham Ferry Elementary SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Lake Oconee CharterA− · 55% proficient
- Morgan County Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Anita White Carson Middle SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Oconee Charter High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Greene County High SchoolD− · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 30642 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
30642 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 30642 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 30642
Is 30642 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 30642 ranks 12,826th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, what local pay buys, and tree cover, and lowest on the schools and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 30642 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $612,235. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $100,913 median income, cost of living beats 85% of zip codes.
Is 30642 safe?
Yes, 30642 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $273 per resident a year.
Compare 30642 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 30642. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 30642 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.
30642 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 30642: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 30642: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 30642: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 30642: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
30642 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.