Best Places78957, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78957, 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.
78957 ranks 13,286th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78957
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.
78957's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78957 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 163 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 75% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 68% of zip codes
Where 78957 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Short commute32.7 minutes each way, better than only 17% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78957
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78957 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $76,423, 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 78957's effective rate of 1.07%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78957
78957's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 78957.
Who works in 78957, and how
Work in 78957 centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 78957
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78957.
What the weather is like in 78957, month by month
78957 sees roughly 163 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 78957
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 32 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 78957
Schools across 78957 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mina ElB · 47% proficient
- Flatonia ElB · 47% proficient
- Smithville ElB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- La Grange MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Smithville J HB− · 42% proficient
- Bastrop IntC− · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- La Grange H SB+ · 53% proficient
- Smithville H SB− · 45% proficient
- Bastrop H SC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78957 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78957 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 78957 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78957
Is 78957 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78957 ranks 13,286th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, low taxes, and state finances, 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 78957 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $272,812. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $76,423 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 78957 safe?
78957 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $351 per resident a year.
Compare 78957 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78957. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78957 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.
78957 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78957: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78957: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78957: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78957: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78957 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.