Best Places78717, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78717, 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.
78717 ranks 252nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78717
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.
78717's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78717 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$161,823 median, better than 97% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 78717 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78717
A household needs to earn about $190,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78717 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $161,823, 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 78717's effective rate of 1.68%, 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 78717
78717 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78717.
Who works in 78717, and how
Work in 78717 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 63%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78717
78717 has more parkland per resident than 79% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78717 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78717, month by month
78717 sees roughly 160 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 78717
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 21 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 78717
Schools across 78717 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Patsy Sommer ElA+ · 77% proficient
- Elsa England ElA+ · 74% proficient
- Great Oaks ElA · 62% proficient
Top middle schools
- Florence W Stiles MiddleA+ · 77% proficient
- Pearson Ranch MiddleA+ · 74% proficient
- James Garland Walsh MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
Top high schools
- Westwood H SA · 78% proficient
- Round Rock H SA · 74% proficient
- Mcneil H SA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78717 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78717 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 78717 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78717 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 100% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 35% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 78717
Is 78717 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78717 ranks 252nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on property taxes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78717 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $647,975. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $161,823 median income, cost of living beats 100% of zip codes.
Is 78717 safe?
Yes, 78717 is safer than 72% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $289 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78717?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 62 with lows near 42. That works out to about 160 pleasant days a year, more than 92% of zip codes.
Is 78717 good for families?
Schools beat 88% of zip codes, crime safety beats 72%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare 78717 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78717. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78717 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.
78717 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78717: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78717: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78717: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78717: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78717 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.