Best Places36117, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36117, 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.
36117 ranks 15,302nd 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 36117
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.
36117's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36117 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$657 a month, better than 80% of zip codes
Where 36117 ranks low
- School gradeD, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36117
A household needs to earn about $66,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36117 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,483, 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 36117's effective rate of 0.37%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36117
36117'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 36117.
Who works in 36117, and how
Work in 36117 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 36117
36117 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 36117 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36117, month by month
36117 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 36117
The nearest airport, Montgomery Regional (Dannelly Field), is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 134 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36117
Schools across 36117 average a D, better than 6% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pike Road Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Blount Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Wilson Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pike Road Jr High SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Carr Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Brewbaker Middle SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Pike Road High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Park Crossing High SchoolD− · 17% proficient
- Jefferson Davis High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36117 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36117 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 36117 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36117 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 36117
Is 36117 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36117 ranks 15,302nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and state infrastructure, and lowest on the schools and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36117 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $269,156. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $83,483 median income, cost of living beats 76% of zip codes.
Is 36117 safe?
36117 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $549 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36117?
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 36117 good for families?
Schools beat 6% of zip codes, crime safety beats 15%, and childcare runs $657 a month.
Compare 36117 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36117. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36117 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.
36117 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36117: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36117: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36117: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36117: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36117 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.