Best Places78739, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78739, 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.
78739 ranks 33rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78739
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.
78739's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78739 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Household income$229,477 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
Where 78739 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,046 a month, better than only 30% of zip codes
- Short commute28.6 minutes each way, better than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78739
A household needs to earn about $222,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78739 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $229,477, 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 78739's effective rate of 1.31%, 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 78739
78739's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 78739.
Who works in 78739, and how
Work in 78739 centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 60%
- Work from home 38%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78739
78739 has more parkland per resident than 98% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78739 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78739, month by month
78739 sees roughly 151 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 52° | 43° |
| April | 82° | 70° | 60° |
| July | 99° | 86° | 76° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78739
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 13 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 78739
Schools across 78739 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Clayton ElA · 70% proficient
- Mills ElA · 65% proficient
- Kiker ElA · 64% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gorzycki MiddleA · 66% proficient
- Eric Dahlstrom MiddleA− · 56% proficient
- Bailey MiddleC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Bowie H SA · 72% proficient
- Jack C Hays H SB · 48% proficient
- Akins H SC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78739 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78739 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 78739 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78739 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 100% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 38% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 90% of zip codes and health care access beats 71%.
Common questions about living in 78739
Is 78739 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78739 ranks 33rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78739 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $792,805. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $229,477 median income, cost of living beats 100% of zip codes.
Is 78739 safe?
Yes, 78739 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $197 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78739?
July highs average about 99 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 43. That works out to about 151 pleasant days a year, more than 90% of zip codes.
Is 78739 good for families?
Schools beat 88% of zip codes, crime safety beats 94%, and childcare runs $1,046 a month.
Compare 78739 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78739. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78739 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.
78739 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78739: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78739: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78739: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78739: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78739 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.