Best Places31503, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31503, 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.
31503 ranks 27,542nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 31503
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.
31503's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31503 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$502 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Short commute22.3 minutes each way, better than 74% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 31503 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31503
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31503 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,362, 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 31503's effective rate of 0.85%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31503
31503 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 31503.
Who works in 31503, and how
Work in 31503 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 31503
31503 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 31503 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 31503, month by month
31503 sees roughly 111 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 52° | 40° |
| April | 83° | 68° | 55° |
| July | 95° | 83° | 74° |
| October | 84° | 70° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 31503
The nearest airport, Brunswick Golden Isles, is about 53 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 65 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31503
Schools across 31503 average a C+, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hoboken Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Blackshear Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Waresboro Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pierce County Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Brantley County Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Clinch County Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Pierce County High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Ware County High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Brantley County High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31503 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31503 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 31503 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 31503 suits
Common questions about living in 31503
Is 31503 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31503 ranks 27,542nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, state finances, and short commutes, and lowest on summer heat and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31503 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $121,585. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $56,362 median income, cost of living beats 17% of zip codes.
Is 31503 safe?
31503 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $391 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 31503?
July highs average about 95 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 40. That works out to about 111 pleasant days a year, more than 70% of zip codes.
Is 31503 good for families?
Schools beat 38% of zip codes, crime safety beats 36%, and childcare runs $502 a month.
Compare 31503 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31503. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31503 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.
31503 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31503: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31503: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31503: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31503: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31503 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.