Best Places78598, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78598, 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.
78598 ranks 24,484th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78598
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.
78598's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78598 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 179 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 78598 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78598
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78598 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $72,768, 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 78598's effective rate of 1.40%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 78598
78598's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 78598.
Who works in 78598, and how
Work in 78598 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78598
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78598.
What the weather is like in 78598, month by month
78598 sees roughly 179 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 73, with lows near 51. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 73° | 60° | 51° |
| April | 87° | 75° | 66° |
| July | 96° | 85° | 76° |
| October | 88° | 76° | 66° |
Flying in and out of 78598
The nearest airport, Valley International, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Antonio International, about 216 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78598
Schools across 78598 average a C+, better than 43% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sarita ElA− · 62% proficient
- San Perlita ElA− · 58% proficient
- Palmer-laakso ElC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Los Cuates MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
- Lyford MiddleC− · 29% proficient
- San Perlita MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Los Fresnos H SB · 50% proficient
- Kaufer H SC+ · 40% proficient
- Lyford H SC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78598 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78598 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 78598 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78598
Is 78598 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78598 ranks 24,484th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, the weather, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78598 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $85,400. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $72,768 median income, cost of living beats 50% of zip codes.
Is 78598 safe?
78598 is safer than 8% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $742 per resident a year.
Compare 78598 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78598. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78598 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.
78598 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78598: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78598: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78598: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78598: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78598 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.