Best Places36420, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36420, 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.
36420 ranks 29,115th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 36420
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.
36420's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36420 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$658 a month, better than 80% of zip codes
- Short commute21.5 minutes each way, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 36420 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Household income$51,579 median, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36420
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36420 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $51,579, 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 36420's effective rate of 0.22%, 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 36420
36420 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 36420.
Who works in 36420, and how
Work in 36420 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 36420
36420 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 36420 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36420, month by month
36420 sees roughly 83 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 52° | 41° |
| April | 83° | 69° | 55° |
| July | 96° | 83° | 74° |
| October | 86° | 71° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 36420
The nearest airport, Eglin AFB/Destin-Ft Walton Beach, is about 55 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 202 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36420
Schools across 36420 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Straughn Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Andalusia Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Ws Harlan Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Straughn Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Andalusia Junior HighB− · 40% proficient
- W S Neal Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Andalusia High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Straughn High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Florala High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36420 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36420 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 36420 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36420
Is 36420 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36420 ranks 29,115th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state infrastructure, and tree cover, and lowest on disaster risk and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36420 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $162,647. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $51,579 median income, cost of living beats 19% of zip codes.
Is 36420 safe?
36420 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $421 per resident a year.
Compare 36420 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36420. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36420 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.
36420 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36420: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36420: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36420: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36420: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36420 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.