Best Places78344, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78344, 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.
78344 ranks 27,252nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78344
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.
78344's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78344 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 200 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 78344 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$47,704 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78344
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78344 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $47,704, 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 78344's effective rate of 0.33%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78344
78344 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 78344.
Who works in 78344, and how
Work in 78344 centers on education and admin & support services. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 98%
- Work from home 1%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 78344
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78344.
What the weather is like in 78344, month by month
78344 sees roughly 200 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 71, with lows near 45. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 56° | 45° |
| April | 88° | 73° | 62° |
| July | 99° | 85° | 71° |
| October | 88° | 73° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78344
The nearest airport, Laredo International, is about 39 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Antonio International, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78344
Schools across 78344 average a D, better than 7% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Charles Borchers ElC+ · 35% proficient
- Norman M Thomas ElC− · 28% proficient
- Oilton ElD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Trautmann MiddleB · 46% proficient
- Lucy Aragon J HC− · 28% proficient
- Bruni MiddleD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- United H SB · 50% proficient
- Freer H SC− · 27% proficient
- Benavides SecondaryD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78344 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78344 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 78344 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78344
Is 78344 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78344 ranks 27,252nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, the weather, and low property taxes, and lowest on thin health care access and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78344 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $130,560. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $47,704 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 78344 safe?
78344 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $628 per resident a year.
Compare 78344 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78344. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78344 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.
78344 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78344: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78344: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78344: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78344: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78344 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.