Best Places78602, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78602, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78602 ranks 9,752nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78602
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.
78602's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78602 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 142 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 78602 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute33.4 minutes each way, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78602
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78602 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $88,428; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 78602's effective rate of 1.25%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78602
78602'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 78602.
Who works in 78602, and how
Work in 78602 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 78602
78602 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 77% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 78602 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78602, month by month
78602 sees roughly 142 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs March, April, and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 51° | 42° |
| April | 80° | 68° | 59° |
| July | 96° | 84° | 75° |
| October | 84° | 70° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 78602
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 22 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 10.7 million passengers in 2025, with 127 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78602
Schools across 78602 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mina ElB · 47% proficient
- Smithville ElB− · 42% proficient
- Emile ElD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Smithville J HB− · 42% proficient
- Bastrop MiddleC · 31% proficient
- Bastrop IntC− · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Colorado River Collegiate AcademyA · 72% proficient
- Smithville H SB− · 45% proficient
- Cedar Creek H SB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78602 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78602 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 78602 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78602 suits
Families
Schools land around the 30th percentile and crime safety beats 65%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 81% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 78602
Is 78602 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78602 ranks 9,752nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, a strong job market, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78602 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $330,902. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $88,428 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 78602 safe?
Yes, 78602 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $328 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78602?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 42. That works out to about 142 pleasant days a year, more than 86% of zip codes.
Is 78602 good for families?
Schools beat 30% of zip codes, crime safety beats 65%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare 78602 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78602. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78602 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.
78602 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78602: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78602: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78602: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78602: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78602 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.