Best Places36574, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36574, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36574 ranks 27,265th 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 36574
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.
36574's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36574 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 36574 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Household income$50,156 median, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36574
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36574 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $50,156, 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 36574's effective rate of 0.16%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36574
36574 runs older than the country, 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 36574.
Who works in 36574, and how
Work in 36574 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 36574
The coast is about 36 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 36574, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36574, month by month
36574 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 54° | 44° |
| April | 77° | 69° | 59° |
| July | 91° | 83° | 76° |
| October | 82° | 72° | 63° |
Flying in and out of 36574
The nearest airport, Pensacola International, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 170 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36574
Schools across 36574 average a C+, better than 48% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elberta Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Elsanor SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Central Baldwin Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Robertsdale High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Elberta High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Foley High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36574 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36574 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 36574 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36574
Is 36574 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36574 ranks 27,265th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low crime, and a strong job market, 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 36574 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,100. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $50,156 median income, cost of living beats 12% of zip codes.
Is 36574 safe?
Yes, 36574 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $163 per resident a year.
Compare 36574 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36574. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36574 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.
36574 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36574: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36574: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36574: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36574: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36574 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.