Best Places78662, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78662, 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.
78662 ranks 24,114th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78662
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.
78662's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78662 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 126 pleasant days a year, better than 79% of zip codes
Where 78662 ranks low
- Short commute47.2 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78662
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78662 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $71,917, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 78662's effective rate of 0.89%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78662
78662 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78662.
Who works in 78662, and how
Work in 78662 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 83%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78662
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78662.
What the weather is like in 78662, month by month
78662 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 78662
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 78662
Schools across 78662 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Smithville ElB− · 42% proficient
- Bluebonnet ElD+ · 24% proficient
- Red Rock ElD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Smithville J HB− · 42% proficient
- Lockhart J HD+ · 27% proficient
- Cedar Creek MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Smithville H SB− · 45% proficient
- Cedar Creek H SB− · 42% proficient
- Lockhart H SC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78662 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78662 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 78662 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78662
Is 78662 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78662 ranks 24,114th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low taxes, and state finances, and lowest on long commutes and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78662 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $310,210. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $71,917 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 78662 safe?
78662 is safer than 37% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $420 per resident a year.
Compare 78662 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78662. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78662 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.
78662 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78662: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78662: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78662: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78662: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78662 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.