Best PlacesDowntown, Atlanta, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown, Atlanta, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown, Atlanta ranks 3,942nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Noise pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on an educated workforce.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown, Atlanta
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.
Downtown, Atlanta's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown, Atlanta ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown, Atlanta ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown, Atlanta
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown, Atlanta home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $60,110, 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 Downtown, Atlanta's effective rate of 0.94%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown, Atlanta
Downtown, Atlanta runs younger 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 Downtown, Atlanta.
Who works in Downtown, Atlanta, and how
Work in Downtown, Atlanta centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 34%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 35%
Life in Downtown, Atlanta
Downtown, Atlanta has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 75% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown, Atlanta and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown, Atlanta, month by month
Downtown, Atlanta sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 44° | 33° |
| April | 77° | 63° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 78° | 64° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Downtown, Atlanta
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International sits about 9 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 51.5 million passengers in 2025, with 278 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown, Atlanta
Schools across Downtown, Atlanta average a C, better than 34% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Centennial Place Academy (charter)F · 10% proficient
- Kipp Ways Primary Charter SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top middle schools
- David T Howard Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Martin L. King Jr. Middle SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- Midtown High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Maynard Jackson High SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown, Atlanta school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown, Atlanta 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 Downtown, Atlanta against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown, Atlanta
Is Downtown, Atlanta a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown, Atlanta ranks 3,942nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on an educated workforce, state finances, and transit, and lowest on noise and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown, Atlanta expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $366,460. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $60,110 median income, cost of living beats 30% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown, Atlanta safe?
Downtown, Atlanta is safer than 31% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $571 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown, Atlanta with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown, Atlanta. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown, Atlanta 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.
Downtown, Atlanta detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown, Atlanta: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown, Atlanta: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown, Atlanta: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown, Atlanta: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown, Atlanta 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.