Best Places78616, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78616, 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.
78616 ranks 23,564th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78616
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.
78616's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78616 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 126 pleasant days a year, better than 79% of zip codes
Where 78616 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Short commute46.5 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78616
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78616 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $73,745, 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 78616's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78616
78616 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 78616.
Who works in 78616, and how
Work in 78616 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78616
78616 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78616 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78616, month by month
78616 sees roughly 126 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 50° | 38° |
| April | 83° | 68° | 56° |
| July | 99° | 85° | 74° |
| October | 86° | 71° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 78616
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 15 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 78616
Schools across 78616 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Leonard Shanklin ElC · 31% proficient
- Bluebonnet ElD+ · 24% proficient
- Alma Brewer Strawn ElD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dr T C Mccormick Jr MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Lockhart J HD+ · 27% proficient
- Cedar Creek MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Cedar Creek H SB− · 42% proficient
- Lockhart H SC+ · 39% proficient
- Luling H SC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78616 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78616 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 78616 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78616
Is 78616 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78616 ranks 23,564th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low taxes, and few empty homes, and lowest on education levels and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78616 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $276,839. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $73,745 median income, cost of living beats 51% of zip codes.
Is 78616 safe?
78616 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $366 per resident a year.
Compare 78616 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78616. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78616 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.
78616 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78616: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78616: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78616: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78616: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78616 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.