Best Places78146, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78146, 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.
78146 ranks 18,763rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78146
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.
78146's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78146 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 186 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 78146 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78146
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78146 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,679, 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 78146's effective rate of 0.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 78146
78146'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 78146.
Who works in 78146, and how
Work in 78146 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78146
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78146.
What the weather is like in 78146, month by month
78146 sees roughly 186 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 45. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 55° | 45° |
| April | 84° | 72° | 62° |
| July | 96° | 84° | 75° |
| October | 87° | 74° | 64° |
Flying in and out of 78146
The nearest airport, Victoria Regional, is about 57 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Antonio International, about 75 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78146
Schools across 78146 average a C, better than 31% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pettus ElC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Goliad MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
- Kenedy MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Three Rivers Jr/sr H SC+ · 37% proficient
- Pettus SecondaryC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78146 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78146 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 78146 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78146
Is 78146 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78146 ranks 18,763rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, a stable housing market, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78146 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $157,949. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $74,679 median income, cost of living beats 54% of zip codes.
Is 78146 safe?
78146 is safer than 23% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $519 per resident a year.
Compare 78146 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78146. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78146 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.
78146 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78146: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78146: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78146: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78146: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78146 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.