Best Places36034, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36034, 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.
36034 ranks 24,949th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36034
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.
36034's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36034 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$560 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 36034 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36034
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36034 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,421, 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 36034's effective rate of 0.23%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36034
36034 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 36034.
Who works in 36034, and how
Work in 36034 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 36034
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 36034.
What the weather is like in 36034, month by month
36034 sees roughly 109 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 77° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 79° | 66° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 36034
The nearest airport, Dothan Regional, is about 45 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 170 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36034
Schools across 36034 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Goshen Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Elba Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Goshen High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Elba High SchoolD− · 12% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36034 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36034 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 36034 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36034
Is 36034 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36034 ranks 24,949th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and quiet, and lowest on cell coverage and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36034 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $146,153. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $61,421 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 36034 safe?
36034 is safer than 45% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $309 per resident a year.
Compare 36034 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36034. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36034 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.
36034 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36034: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36034: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36034: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36034: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36034 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.