Best Places78644, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78644, 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.
78644 ranks 16,998th 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 78644
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.
78644's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78644 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 149 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 78644 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78644
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78644 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $70,759, 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 78644's effective rate of 1.16%, 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 78644
78644'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 78644.
Who works in 78644, and how
Work in 78644 centers on construction and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78644
78644 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 78644 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78644, month by month
78644 sees roughly 149 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 51° | 41° |
| April | 82° | 69° | 58° |
| July | 97° | 84° | 74° |
| October | 85° | 71° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 78644
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 78644
Schools across 78644 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Clear Fork ElC+ · 36% proficient
- Plum Creek ElC · 33% proficient
- Leonard Shanklin ElC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dr T C Mccormick Jr MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Lockhart J HD+ · 27% proficient
- Armando Chapa MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Lockhart H SC+ · 39% proficient
- Trinity Charter Schools - Lockhart CampusC+ · 38% proficient
- Lehman H SC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78644 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78644 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 78644 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78644 suits
Families
Schools land around the 26th percentile and crime safety beats 58%.
Common questions about living in 78644
Is 78644 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78644 ranks 16,998th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, a strong job market, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78644 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $245,227. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $70,759 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 78644 safe?
Yes, 78644 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $347 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78644?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 41. That works out to about 149 pleasant days a year, more than 89% of zip codes.
Is 78644 good for families?
Schools beat 26% of zip codes, crime safety beats 58%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare 78644 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78644. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78644 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.
78644 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78644: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78644: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78644: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78644: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78644 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.