Best Places31698, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31698, 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.
31698 ranks 26,703rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 31698
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.
31698's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31698 ranks high
- Short commute14.2 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 31698 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$42,506 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31698
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31698 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $42,506, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 31698's effective rate of 0.79%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31698
31698 runs younger 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 31698.
Who works in 31698, and how
Work in 31698 centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 19%
Life in 31698
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 31698.
What the weather is like in 31698, month by month
31698 sees roughly 87 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 52° | 39° |
| April | 83° | 68° | 53° |
| July | 94° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 85° | 70° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 31698
The nearest airport, Valdosta Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31698
Schools across 31698 average a D+, better than 12% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- S.l. Mason Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Valdosta Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Valdosta High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31698 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31698 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 31698 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 31698
Is 31698 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31698 ranks 26,703rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, population health, and fast internet, and lowest on civic engagement 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 31698 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $259,100. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $42,506 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 31698 safe?
31698 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $288 per resident a year.
Compare 31698 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31698. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31698 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.
31698 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31698: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31698: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31698: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31698: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31698 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.