Best Places31206, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31206, 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.
31206 ranks 32,994th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 31206
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.
31206's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31206 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$649 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Short commute22.0 minutes each way, better than 76% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 31206 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$35,251 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31206
A household needs to earn about $21,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31206 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $35,251, 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 31206's effective rate of 0.96%, 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 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31206
31206 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 31206.
Who works in 31206, and how
Work in 31206 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 31206
31206 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 31206 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 31206, month by month
31206 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 48° | 36° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 49° |
| July | 95° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 83° | 66° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 31206
The nearest airport, Middle Georgia Regional, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31206
Schools across 31206 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Skyview Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Heritage Elementary SchoolD+ · 21% proficient
- Porter Elementary SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rutland Middle SchoolD− · 18% proficient
- Weaver Middle SchoolF · 8% proficient
- Ballard Hudson Middle SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Rutland High SchoolD− · 11% proficient
- Southwest High SchoolF · 11% proficient
- Central High SchoolF · 6% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31206 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31206 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 31206 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 31206 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 8% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 31206
Is 31206 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31206 ranks 32,994th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, affordable childcare, and state finances, and lowest on the schools and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31206 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $80,317. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $35,251 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 31206 safe?
31206 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $795 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 31206?
July highs average about 95 degrees, and January highs near 62 with lows near 36. That works out to about 78 pleasant days a year, more than 42% of zip codes.
Is 31206 good for families?
Schools beat 1% of zip codes, crime safety beats 4%, and childcare runs $649 a month.
Compare 31206 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31206. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31206 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.
31206 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31206: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31206: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31206: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31206: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31206 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.