Best Places31721, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31721, 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.
31721 ranks 21,537th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. The schools pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on an educated workforce.
The best neighborhoods in 31721
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.
31721's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31721 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$648 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 79% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 31721 ranks low
- School gradeD, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31721
A household needs to earn about $59,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31721 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,654, 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 31721's effective rate of 1.27%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31721
31721's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 31721.
Who works in 31721, and how
Work in 31721 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 31721
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 31721.
What the weather is like in 31721, month by month
31721 sees roughly 84 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 65, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 50° | 38° |
| April | 82° | 68° | 53° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 85° | 70° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 31721
The nearest airport, Southwest Georgia Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 142 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31721
Schools across 31721 average a D, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Park Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Live Oak Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Cooper-carver Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Robert A. Cross Middle MagnetB · 45% proficient
- Lee County Middle School WestB− · 43% proficient
- Merry Acres Middle SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Westover High SchoolD · 18% proficient
- Lee County High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
- Terrell High SchoolF · 7% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31721 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31721 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 31721 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 31721 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 31721
Is 31721 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31721 ranks 21,537th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, affordable childcare, and civic engagement, and lowest on the schools and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31721 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $213,085. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $75,654 median income, cost of living beats 66% of zip codes.
Is 31721 safe?
31721 is safer than 19% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $451 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 31721?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 65 with lows near 38. That works out to about 84 pleasant days a year, more than 49% of zip codes.
Is 31721 good for families?
Schools beat 4% of zip codes, crime safety beats 19%, and childcare runs $648 a month.
Compare 31721 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31721. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31721 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.
31721 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31721: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31721: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31721: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31721: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31721 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.