Best Places78954, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78954, 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.
78954 ranks 12,409th 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 78954
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.
78954's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78954 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 156 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 89% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 78954 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Short commute36.9 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78954
A household needs to earn about $111,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78954 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $92,583, 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 78954's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 78954
78954 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78954.
Who works in 78954, and how
Work in 78954 centers on construction and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 78954
78954 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 96% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78954 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78954, month by month
78954 sees roughly 156 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 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 | 81° | 70° | 61° |
| July | 96° | 85° | 76° |
| October | 84° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78954
The nearest airport, Easterwood Field, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Austin-Bergstrom International, about 59 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78954
Schools across 78954 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Burton ElB+ · 52% proficient
- Round Top-carmine ElB · 47% proficient
- West End ElB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Brenham J HB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Round Top-carmine H SA · 72% proficient
- Brenham H SB · 50% proficient
- Burton H SB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78954 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78954 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 78954 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78954
Is 78954 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78954 ranks 12,409th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, the weather, and civic engagement, 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 78954 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $433,887. The overall cost of living runs about 19% above the national average. Set against a $92,583 median income, cost of living beats 49% of zip codes.
Is 78954 safe?
78954 is safer than 50% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $378 per resident a year.
Compare 78954 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78954. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78954 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.
78954 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78954: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78954: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78954: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78954: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78954 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.