Best Places78669, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78669, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78669 ranks 2,381st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78669
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.
78669's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78669 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$144,857 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 165 pleasant days a year, better than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 78669 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute35.6 minutes each way, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78669
A household needs to earn about $200,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78669 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $144,857, 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 78669's effective rate of 1.14%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78669
78669 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78669.
Who works in 78669, and how
Work in 78669 centers on professional & technical and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 58%
- Work from home 37%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 78669
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78669.
What the weather is like in 78669, month by month
78669 sees roughly 165 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 50° | 42° |
| April | 80° | 68° | 59° |
| July | 96° | 84° | 75° |
| October | 82° | 70° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 78669
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 29 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 78669
Schools across 78669 average a B+, better than 77% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rough Hollow ElA · 62% proficient
- Serene Hills ElB+ · 53% proficient
- Dripping Springs ElB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lake Travis MiddleA · 61% proficient
- Dripping Springs MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- Lyndon B Johnson MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Travis H SA · 68% proficient
- Dripping Springs H SA− · 65% proficient
- Lyndon B Johnson H SA− · 62% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78669 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78669 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 78669 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78669
Is 78669 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78669 ranks 2,381st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, high incomes, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78669 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $732,198. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $144,857 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 78669 safe?
78669 is safer than 42% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $410 per resident a year.
Compare 78669 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78669. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78669 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.
78669 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78669: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78669: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78669: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78669: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78669 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.