Best PlacesSouth Central, Reno, NV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Central, Reno, 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 Central, Reno ranks 3,271st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Central, Reno
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, Reno's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Central, Reno ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.5 minutes each way, better than 87% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where South Central, Reno ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 27% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 27% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Central, Reno
A household needs to earn about $123,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Central, Reno home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $74,325, 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, Reno's effective rate of 0.39%, 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, Reno
South Central, Reno'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 South Central, Reno.
Who works in South Central, Reno, and how
Work in South Central, Reno centers on hospitality & food and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in South Central, Reno
South Central, Reno has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 68% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of South Central, Reno and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Central, Reno, month by month
South Central, Reno sees roughly 164 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 37° | 25° |
| April | 69° | 53° | 38° |
| July | 97° | 80° | 61° |
| October | 74° | 55° | 39° |
Flying in and out of South Central, Reno
The nearest airport, Reno/Tahoe International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Central, Reno
Schools across South Central, Reno average a C+, better than 46% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Caughlin Ranch ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
- Jessie Beck ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Huffaker ElementaryC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Darrel Swope Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Edward L. Pine Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- E. Otis Vaughn Middle SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- Coral Academy High SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Reno High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Galena High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Central, Reno school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Central, Reno 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, Reno against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Central, Reno suits
Retirees
The weather beats 81% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 70%.
Common questions about living in South Central, Reno
Is South Central, Reno a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Central, Reno ranks 3,271st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, state finances, and state infrastructure, and lowest on internet speeds and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Central, Reno expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $496,960. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $74,325 median income, cost of living beats 50% of neighborhoods.
Is South Central, Reno safe?
South Central, Reno is safer than 27% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $785 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Central, Reno?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 25. That works out to about 164 pleasant days a year, more than 81% of neighborhoods.
Is South Central, Reno good for families?
Schools beat 46% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 27%, and childcare runs $1,122 a month.
Compare South Central, Reno with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Central, Reno. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Central, Reno 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, Reno detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Central, Reno: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Central, Reno: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Central, Reno: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Central, Reno: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Central, Reno 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.