Best PlacesNorthwest Austin, Austin, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Austin, Austin, 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.
Northwest Austin, Austin ranks 1,417th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Austin, Austin
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.
Northwest Austin, Austin's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Austin, Austin ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Austin, Austin ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 36% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Austin, Austin
A household needs to earn about $131,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Austin, Austin home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $87,240, 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 Northwest Austin, Austin's effective rate of 1.40%, 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 Northwest Austin, Austin
Northwest Austin, Austin 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 Northwest Austin, Austin.
Who works in Northwest Austin, Austin, and how
Work in Northwest Austin, Austin centers on professional & technical and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Northwest Austin, Austin
Northwest Austin, Austin has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 75% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Northwest Austin, Austin and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Austin, Austin, month by month
Northwest Austin, Austin sees roughly 160 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 Northwest Austin, Austin
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 19 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 Northwest Austin, Austin
Schools across Northwest Austin, Austin average a B−, better than 72% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Spicewood ElA+ · 73% proficient
- Kathy Caraway ElA− · 56% proficient
- Jollyville ElB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Canyon Vista MiddleA+ · 74% proficient
- Noel Grisham MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Deerpark MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Westwood H SA · 78% proficient
- Mcneil H SA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Austin, Austin school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest Austin, Austin 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 Northwest Austin, Austin against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Northwest Austin, Austin suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of neighborhoods and 25% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 80% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 62%.
Common questions about living in Northwest Austin, Austin
Is Northwest Austin, Austin a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Austin, Austin ranks 1,417th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, state finances, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Austin, Austin expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $464,229. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $87,240 median income, cost of living beats 79% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Austin, Austin safe?
Yes, Northwest Austin, Austin is safer than 65% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $443 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Northwest Austin, Austin?
July highs average about 99 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 43. That works out to about 160 pleasant days a year, more than 80% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Austin, Austin good for families?
Schools beat 72% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 65%, and childcare runs $923 a month.
Compare Northwest Austin, Austin with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Austin, Austin. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Austin, Austin 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.
Northwest Austin, Austin detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Austin, Austin: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Austin, Austin: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Austin, Austin: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Austin, Austin: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Austin, Austin 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.