Best PlacesSouth Albany, Albany, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Albany, Albany, 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.
South Albany, Albany ranks 2,385th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Albany, Albany
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.
South Albany, Albany's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Albany, Albany ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.3 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where South Albany, Albany ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Albany, Albany
A household needs to earn about $85,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Albany, Albany home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $88,059, 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 South Albany, Albany'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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Albany, Albany
South Albany, Albany's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Albany, Albany.
Who works in South Albany, Albany, and how
Work in South Albany, Albany centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in South Albany, Albany
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Albany, Albany.
What the weather is like in South Albany, Albany, month by month
South Albany, Albany sees roughly 102 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 41° | 34° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 68° | 53° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of South Albany, Albany
The nearest airport, McNary Field, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 73 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Albany, Albany
Schools across South Albany, Albany average a C+, better than 52% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Liberty Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Lafayette Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Tangent Elementary SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Memorial Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
- Calapooia Middle SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- West Albany High SchoolA · 72% proficient
- South Albany High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Albany, Albany school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Albany, Albany 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 South Albany, Albany against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Albany, Albany
Is South Albany, Albany a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Albany, Albany ranks 2,385th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, quiet, and few empty homes, and lowest on walkability and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Albany, Albany expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $319,983. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $88,059 median income, cost of living beats 60% of neighborhoods.
Is South Albany, Albany safe?
Yes, South Albany, Albany is safer than 95% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $264 per resident a year.
Compare South Albany, Albany with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Albany, Albany. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Albany, Albany 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.
South Albany, Albany detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Albany, Albany: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Albany, Albany: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Albany, Albany: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Albany, Albany: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Albany, Albany 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.