Best Places36109, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36109, 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.
36109 ranks 24,371st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36109
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.
36109's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36109 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 36109 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36109
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36109 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,564, 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 36109's effective rate of 0.35%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36109
36109'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 36109.
Who works in 36109, and how
Work in 36109 centers on retail trade and public administration. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 36109
36109 has more parkland per resident than 98% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 36109 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36109, month by month
36109 sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 48° | 39° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 54° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 80° | 68° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 36109
The nearest airport, Montgomery Regional (Dannelly Field), is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 136 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36109
Schools across 36109 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dalraida Elementary SchoolD · 16% proficient
- Flowers Elementary SchoolD− · 13% proficient
- Dozier Elementary SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Goodwyn Middle SchoolF · 8% proficient
- Capitol Heights Middle SchoolF · 7% proficient
Top high schools
- Lee High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36109 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36109 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 36109 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36109 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 36109
Is 36109 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36109 ranks 24,371st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and cell coverage, and lowest on the schools and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36109 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $145,801. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $67,564 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 36109 safe?
36109 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $731 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36109?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 39. That works out to about 79 pleasant days a year, more than 43% of zip codes.
Is 36109 good for families?
Schools beat 1% of zip codes, crime safety beats 4%, and childcare runs $657 a month.
Compare 36109 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36109. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36109 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.
36109 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36109: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36109: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36109: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36109: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36109 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.