Best Places78261, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78261, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78261 ranks 102nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78261
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.
78261's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78261 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$144,679 median, better than 95% of zip codes
Where 78261 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Short commute30.8 minutes each way, better than only 25% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78261
A household needs to earn about $132,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78261 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $144,679, 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 78261's effective rate of 1.57%, 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 78261
78261 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78261.
Who works in 78261, and how
Work in 78261 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 78261
78261 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78261 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78261, month by month
78261 sees roughly 152 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 53° | 40° |
| April | 84° | 70° | 58° |
| July | 98° | 85° | 76° |
| October | 86° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 78261
San Antonio International sits about 10 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.3 million passengers in 2025, with 87 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78261
Schools across 78261 average an A−, better than 86% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Johnson Ranch ElA · 62% proficient
- Roan Forest ElA · 62% proficient
- Indian Springs ElB+ · 54% proficient
Top middle schools
- Smithson Valley MiddleA+ · 68% proficient
- Tejeda MiddleA · 62% proficient
- Hill MiddleA · 59% proficient
Top high schools
- Memorial Early College H S With St Philip'sA+ · 82% proficient
- Judson Early College AcademyA+ · 80% proficient
- Johnson H SA · 77% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78261 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78261 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 78261 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78261 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 98% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 78261
Is 78261 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78261 ranks 102nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, what local pay buys, and a strong job market, and lowest on property taxes and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78261 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $456,292. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $144,679 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 78261 safe?
Yes, 78261 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $145 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78261?
July highs average about 98 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 40. That works out to about 152 pleasant days a year, more than 90% of zip codes.
Is 78261 good for families?
Schools beat 86% of zip codes, crime safety beats 99%, and childcare runs $783 a month.
Compare 78261 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78261. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78261 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.
78261 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78261: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78261: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78261: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78261: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78261 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.