Want to get your hands on one of the hottest housing markets in America for 2026? Look no further than Austin, Texas. The city that trademarked the slogan “Keep Austin Weird” might have cool, eclectic businesses and food trucks that make weird things like ice cream using liquid nitrogen, but what really sets Austin apart is the great people, great neighborhoods, and affordable housing.
Matter of fact, Austin is currently one of the best cities in the US and one of the fastest growing cities in America, and if that’s weird than every city should want to be weird. But, what we think would be weird is if you tried to move to the ATX without knowing where the city’s best neighborhoods are located. Don’t worry, however, the experts are here: HomeSnacks has created a list of the best neighborhoods in Austin for 2026 and listed them below.
What is Austin’s formula for success? Well, we don’t know all of their secrets, but what we do know is that after looking at the FBI data for crime reports, the Census report for population counts and housing costs, and the BLS data for current unemployment numbers for Austin’s 60 neighborhoods; and, folks, the top ten best neighborhoods in Austin have really brought their A-game. These neighborhoods are crushing our SnackAbility metrics for low unemployment rates, affordability, safety, and amenities.
So, if you want to know where the best neighborhood to buy your forever home in Austin is located, grab a slice of ‘za from the VIA 313 truck and a sunny spot in Zilker Park and keep reading.
$106,972 median income · $764,975 median home value
$125,606 median income · $484,400 median home value
$118,667 median income · $681,512 median home value
$126,210 median income · $619,317 median home value
$79,676 median income · $434,700 median home value
$93,876 median income · $651,617 median home value
$74,274 median income · $484,720 median home value
$74,838 median income · $457,414 median home value
$123,681 median income · $918,567 median home value
$69,392 median income · $470,471 median home value
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: $300,957
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Austin, TX neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Austin, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 60 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Austin.” We’re lookin’ at you, Downtown.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Austin, Texas has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Austin.
The full plate
Table: Best Austin neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downtown | 12,436 | $764,975 | $106,972 |
| 2 | Crestview | 6,739 | $484,400 | $125,606 |
| 3 | Zilker | 9,287 | $681,512 | $118,667 |
| 4 | Rosedale | 6,179 | $619,317 | $126,210 |
| 5 | Chestnut | 2,390 | $434,700 | $79,676 |
| 6 | South River City | 6,483 | $651,617 | $93,876 |
| 7 | Holly | 2,934 | $484,720 | $74,274 |
| 8 | Brentwood | 10,234 | $457,414 | $74,838 |
| 9 | Windsor Road | 5,510 | $918,567 | $123,681 |
| 10 | South Lamar | 8,635 | $470,471 | $69,392 |
| 11 | Old West Austin | 3,955 | $1,070,100 | $82,566 |
| 12 | East Cesar Chavez | 3,639 | $484,600 | $75,122 |
| 13 | Rmma | 6,070 | $501,260 | $104,286 |
| 14 | Hyde Park | 5,833 | $563,817 | $54,202 |
| 15 | Pecan Springs Springdale | 7,352 | $341,500 | $82,804 |
| 16 | Garrison Park | 11,315 | $310,044 | $78,928 |
| 17 | Galindo | 5,346 | $427,800 | $78,638 |
| 18 | Triangle State | 1,820 | $453,800 | $71,206 |
| 19 | Allandale | 10,127 | $523,550 | $82,050 |
| 20 | Bouldin | 6,229 | $659,500 | $84,789 |
| 21 | South Manchaca | 7,520 | $356,212 | $80,330 |
| 22 | Dawson | 3,176 | $422,867 | $73,843 |
| 23 | Windsor Hills | 9,032 | $259,667 | $60,570 |
| 24 | Central East Austin | 5,879 | $486,025 | $74,348 |
| 25 | Riverside | 12,314 | $377,650 | $64,246 |
| 26 | University Of Texas | 9,719 | $409,333 | $64,666 |
| 27 | Barton Hills | 9,368 | $554,125 | $89,750 |
| 28 | Windsor Park | 16,512 | $369,622 | $77,716 |
| 29 | North University | 4,338 | $365,567 | $40,013 |
| 30 | Rosewood | 5,859 | $425,467 | $59,946 |
| 31 | University Hills | 4,803 | $369,067 | $73,726 |
| 32 | Pleasant Valley | 14,842 | $284,500 | $49,743 |
| 33 | East Congress | 3,591 | $299,500 | $64,305 |
| 34 | Govalle | 5,507 | $408,300 | $81,886 |
| 35 | West Gate | 3,908 | $437,600 | $55,423 |
| 36 | Sweet Briar | 6,433 | $279,875 | $65,239 |
| 37 | Wooten | 7,151 | $388,767 | $60,739 |
| 38 | Upper Boggy Creek | 5,219 | $431,900 | $71,323 |
| 39 | North Lamar | 7,350 | $197,433 | $50,636 |
| 40 | North Loop | 5,265 | $451,583 | $64,884 |
| 41 | Southeast | 5,009 | $314,200 | $85,947 |
| 42 | Johnston Terrace | 1,314 | $312,000 | $74,318 |
| 43 | West University | 15,840 | $365,150 | $19,798 |
| 44 | Coronado Hills | 3,025 | $269,500 | $38,137 |
| 45 | Mlk | 5,261 | $367,917 | $68,127 |
| 46 | North Austin | 27,374 | $246,400 | $52,321 |
| 47 | North Shoal Creek | 4,622 | $464,800 | $64,072 |
| 48 | Hancock | 5,466 | $520,060 | $55,204 |
| 49 | West Congress | 3,611 | $314,775 | $64,496 |
| 50 | Parker Lane | 9,056 | $290,467 | $46,454 |
| 51 | Franklin Park | 14,919 | $155,325 | $50,880 |
| 52 | Georgian Acres | 9,299 | $190,667 | $48,241 |
| 53 | Highland | 5,307 | $327,250 | $57,824 |
| 54 | Montopolis | 10,471 | $258,675 | $60,827 |
| 55 | North Burnett | 10,086 | $271,400 | $62,574 |
| 56 | Heritage Hills | 7,129 | $191,400 | $43,405 |
| 57 | Saint Edwards | 5,395 | $96,800 | $37,831 |
| 58 | Saint Johns | 9,414 | $119,120 | $38,935 |
| 59 | Martin Luther King-Hwy 183 | 8,366 | $167,560 | $38,101 |
| 60 | McKinney | 5,030 | $232,600 | $60,159 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 60 Austin neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Austin
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Austin where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Austin are Downtown, Crestview, Zilker, Rosedale, Chestnut, South River City, Holly, Brentwood, Windsor Road, and South Lamar.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Austin aren’t all good. McKinney takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Austin.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Austin FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Austin?
Downtown is the best neighborhood in Austin for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Crestview and Zilker are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Austin?
The best neighborhoods in Austin are Downtown, Crestview, Zilker, Rosedale, Chestnut, South River City, Holly, Brentwood, Windsor Road, and South Lamar. We ranked all 60 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Downtown?
The median household income in Downtown is $106,972 and the median home costs $764,975. The best blocks in Austin rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Austin neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Downtown, takes the top spot.
Which Austin neighborhood ranked last?
McKinney came in last of the 60 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Austin the numbers put it there.
