Best Places36305, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36305, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36305 ranks 9,577th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 36305
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.
36305's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36305 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$561 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 36305 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36305
A household needs to earn about $59,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36305 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,453, 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 36305's effective rate of 0.31%, 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 36305
36305 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 36305.
Who works in 36305, and how
Work in 36305 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 36305
36305 has more parkland per resident than 70% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 36305 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36305, month by month
36305 sees roughly 93 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 50° | 40° |
| April | 81° | 67° | 54° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 84° | 70° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 36305
The nearest airport, Dothan Regional, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 178 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36305
Schools across 36305 average a C, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Highlands Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Rehobeth Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Slocomb Elementary SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Slocomb Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Rehobeth Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Wicksburg High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Rehobeth High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Dothan High SchoolD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36305 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36305 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 36305 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36305
Is 36305 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36305 ranks 9,577th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, a strong job market, and fast internet, and lowest on air quality and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36305 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $242,463. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $81,453 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 36305 safe?
Yes, 36305 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $226 per resident a year.
Compare 36305 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36305. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36305 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.
36305 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36305: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36305: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36305: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36305: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36305 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.