Best PlacesSouthwest Raleigh, Raleigh, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh, 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.
Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks 2,995th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwest Raleigh, 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.
Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $58,871, 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Southwest Raleigh, 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh.
Who works in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh, and how
Work in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 92% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh, month by month
Southwest Raleigh, 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Raleigh-Durham International sits about 11 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Schools across Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh average an A−, better than 92% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Washington ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Weatherstone ElementaryA · 67% proficient
- West Lake ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Davis Drive MiddleA+ · 87% proficient
- Salem MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
- Ligon MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
Top high schools
- Vernon Malone College And Career AcademyA · 77% proficient
- Longleaf School Of The ArtsA · 73% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwest Raleigh, 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 Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 24% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh
Is Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh ranks 2,995th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on the weather and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $376,599. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $58,871 median income, cost of living beats 39% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh safe?
Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh is safer than 53% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $551 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 57 pleasant days a year, more than 3% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh good for families?
Schools beat 92% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 53%, and childcare runs $1,201 a month.
Compare Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwest Raleigh, 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.
Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwest Raleigh, 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.