Best Places31553, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31553, 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.
31553 ranks 26,418th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 31553
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.
31553's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31553 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$502 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 78% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 31553 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Household income$58,217 median, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31553
A household needs to earn about $27,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31553 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,217, 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 31553's effective rate of 1.19%, 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 31553
31553 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 31553.
Who works in 31553, and how
Work in 31553 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 97%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 31553
31553 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 65% of zip codes. The coast is about 52 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 31553 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 31553, month by month
31553 sees roughly 88 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 31553
The nearest airport, Brunswick Golden Isles, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 51 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31553
Schools across 31553 average a B, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Patterson Elementary SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Hoboken Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Nahunta Primary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pierce County Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Nahunta Elementary SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Brantley County Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Pierce County High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Brantley County High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31553 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31553 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 31553 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 31553
Is 31553 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31553 ranks 26,418th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, fast internet, and affordable childcare, and lowest on disaster risk and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31553 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $96,663. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $58,217 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 31553 safe?
Yes, 31553 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $266 per resident a year.
Compare 31553 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31553. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31553 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.
31553 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31553: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31553: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31553: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31553: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31553 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.