Best Places36804, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36804, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36804 ranks 14,018th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 36804
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.
36804's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36804 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$635 a month, better than 82% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 36804 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- School gradeC, better than only 33% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36804
A household needs to earn about $56,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36804 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,313, 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 36804'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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36804
36804's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 36804.
Who works in 36804, and how
Work in 36804 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 36804
36804 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 36804 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36804, month by month
36804 sees roughly 89 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 47° | 37° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 54° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 78° | 66° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 36804
The nearest airport, Columbus, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36804
Schools across 36804 average a C, better than 33% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ogletree Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Morris Avenue Intermediate SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Beauregard Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Drake Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Sanford Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Smiths Station Junior High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Auburn High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Opelika High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Smiths Station High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36804 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36804 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 36804 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36804 suits
Families
Schools land around the 33rd percentile and crime safety beats 56%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 36804
Is 36804 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36804 ranks 14,018th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, a strong job market, and state infrastructure, and lowest on taxes and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36804 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $228,302. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $74,313 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 36804 safe?
Yes, 36804 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $291 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36804?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 37. That works out to about 89 pleasant days a year, more than 55% of zip codes.
Is 36804 good for families?
Schools beat 33% of zip codes, crime safety beats 56%, and childcare runs $635 a month.
Compare 36804 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36804. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36804 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.
36804 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36804: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36804: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36804: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36804: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36804 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.