Best PlacesSouth Central, Raleigh, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Central, Raleigh, 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.
South Central, Raleigh ranks 3,716th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Central, Raleigh
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 Central, Raleigh's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Central, Raleigh ranks high
- School gradeA, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.8 minutes each way, better than 86% of neighborhoods
Where South Central, Raleigh ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Household income$54,598 median, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Central, Raleigh
A household needs to earn about $131,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Central, Raleigh home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,598, 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 South Central, Raleigh's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 South Central, Raleigh
South Central, Raleigh 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 South Central, Raleigh.
Who works in South Central, Raleigh, and how
Work in South Central, Raleigh centers on professional & technical and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in South Central, Raleigh
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Central, Raleigh.
What the weather is like in South Central, Raleigh, month by month
South Central, Raleigh sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 94° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of South Central, Raleigh
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 12 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 7.7 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around South Central, Raleigh
Schools across South Central, Raleigh average an A, better than 96% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Root ElementaryA · 71% proficient
- Hunter ElementaryA · 68% proficient
- Laurel Park ElementaryA · 68% proficient
Top middle schools
- Salem MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
- Ligon MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Carnage MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
Top high schools
- Vernon Malone College And Career AcademyA · 77% proficient
- Wake Young Men's Leadership AcademyA · 77% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Central, Raleigh school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Central, Raleigh 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 Central, Raleigh against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Central, Raleigh
Is South Central, Raleigh a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Central, Raleigh ranks 3,716th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on good schools, state finances, and fast internet, and lowest on a weak job market and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Central, Raleigh expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $512,328. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $54,598 median income, cost of living beats 24% of neighborhoods.
Is South Central, Raleigh safe?
South Central, Raleigh is safer than 18% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $903 per resident a year.
Compare South Central, Raleigh with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Central, Raleigh. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Central, Raleigh 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 Central, Raleigh detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Central, Raleigh: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Central, Raleigh: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Central, Raleigh: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Central, Raleigh: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Central, Raleigh 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.