Best Places31326, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31326, 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.
31326 ranks 11,744th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 31326
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.
31326's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31326 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$649 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 31326 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Short commute31.7 minutes each way, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31326
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31326 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $92,663, 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 31326's effective rate of 0.93%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31326
31326 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 31326.
Who works in 31326, and how
Work in 31326 centers on manufacturing and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 31326
31326 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 68% of zip codes. The coast is about 42 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 31326 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 31326, month by month
31326 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 51° | 39° |
| April | 81° | 67° | 54° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 83° | 70° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 31326
The nearest airport, Savannah/Hilton Head International, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charleston AFB/International, about 81 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31326
Schools across 31326 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- South Effingham Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Rincon Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Marlow Elementary SchoolA− · 59% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ebenezer Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- South Effingham Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
- Effingham County Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- South Effingham High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Effingham County High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31326 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31326 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 31326 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 31326 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 7% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 31326
Is 31326 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31326 ranks 11,744th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, what local pay buys, and a strong job market, and lowest on disaster risk and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31326 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $279,689. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $92,663 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 31326 safe?
Yes, 31326 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $261 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 31326?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 66 with lows near 39. That works out to about 91 pleasant days a year, more than 56% of zip codes.
Is 31326 good for families?
Schools beat 69% of zip codes, crime safety beats 62%, and childcare runs $649 a month.
Compare 31326 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31326. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31326 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.
31326 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31326: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31326: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31326: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31326: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31326 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.