Best Places78574, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78574, 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.
78574 ranks 28,169th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78574
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.
78574's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78574 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 183 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$664 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
Where 78574 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78574
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78574 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,725, 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 78574's effective rate of 1.45%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78574
78574 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 78574.
Who works in 78574, and how
Work in 78574 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78574
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78574.
What the weather is like in 78574, month by month
78574 sees roughly 183 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 74, with lows near 52. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74° | 62° | 52° |
| April | 90° | 77° | 69° |
| July | 99° | 87° | 78° |
| October | 90° | 78° | 69° |
Flying in and out of 78574
The nearest airport, McAllen International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Antonio International, about 225 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78574
Schools across 78574 average a C−, better than 27% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Idea North Mission AcademyC− · 29% proficient
- Enrique Kiki Camarena ElC− · 27% proficient
- E B Reyna ElC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sharyland North J HB− · 41% proficient
- Cesar Chavez MiddleC · 32% proficient
- Ann Richards MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Thelma Rosa Salinas Stem Early College H SB+ · 52% proficient
- Sharyland Pioneer H SB · 47% proficient
- Mission Collegiate H SB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78574 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78574 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 78574 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78574 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 78574
Is 78574 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78574 ranks 28,169th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, cell coverage, and low taxes, and lowest on thin health care access and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78574 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $144,181. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $56,725 median income, cost of living beats 24% of zip codes.
Is 78574 safe?
78574 is safer than 35% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $444 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78574?
July highs average about 99 degrees, and January highs near 74 with lows near 52. That works out to about 183 pleasant days a year, more than 96% of zip codes.
Is 78574 good for families?
Schools beat 27% of zip codes, crime safety beats 35%, and childcare runs $664 a month.
Compare 78574 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78574. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78574 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.
78574 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78574: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78574: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78574: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78574: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78574 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.