Best Places31081, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31081, 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.
31081 ranks 32,830th 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 31081
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.
31081's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31081 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$502 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 31081 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$31,250 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31081
A household needs to earn about $17,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31081 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $31,250, 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 31081's effective rate of 0.63%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 31081
31081 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 31081.
Who works in 31081, and how
Work in 31081 centers on education and mining & oil & gas. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in 31081
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 31081.
What the weather is like in 31081, month by month
31081 sees roughly 93 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 49° | 40° |
| April | 79° | 66° | 55° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 68° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 31081
The nearest airport, Columbus, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 84 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31081
Schools across 31081 average a D+, better than 13% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Schley County Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Taylor County Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Taylor County High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31081 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31081 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 31081 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 31081
Is 31081 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31081 ranks 32,830th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, affordable childcare, and tree cover, and lowest on noise and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31081 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $68,200. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $31,250 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 31081 safe?
31081 is safer than 5% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $665 per resident a year.
Compare 31081 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31081. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31081 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.
31081 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31081: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31081: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31081: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31081: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31081 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.