The Highest-Scoring ZIP Codes in America (2026)
By Sharon Ben-Moshe · June 25, 2026
The top-scoring US ZIP codes blend very low crime with strong public schools. Most are small towns — here's why, and which ZIPs lead in 2026.
The highest-scoring ZIP codes in America pair very low crime relative to their state with top-of-the-scale public schools. The index tops out at 97 — to reach it a ZIP needs both the maximum 95 crime band and a perfect 100 school score — and a striking pattern emerges among the ZIPs that get there: almost all are small towns, not big-city neighborhoods.
The national ceiling: 97
Because the crime score caps at 95 and the school score at 100, the maximum possible overall is 97 (95 × 0.53 + 100 × 0.47). A cluster of small towns hits exactly that mark, including Crisfield, Maryland (21817), Springfield, South Carolina (29146), Jal, New Mexico (88252), Hancock, Maryland (21750), Ada, Minnesota (56510), and Lexington, Mississippi (39095). Each combines a 95 crime score with a perfect 100 school score.
Why small towns dominate
Two forces push rural ZIPs to the top. First, crime is scored against the state average, and sparsely populated areas usually report far fewer incidents per capita than their state's cities. Second, a small town often has just one school system that fully covers its grades, which maxes out the school-coverage component. Big-city ZIPs, by contrast, carry higher relative crime and more school-to-school variation that pulls their averages down.
The practical takeaway: a 97 in rural Minnesota and a 78 in a major metro are not the same product. The metro ZIP may offer jobs, transit, and amenities the score does not capture. Read the leaderboard as a measure of safety-and-schools strength, not overall desirability.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren't famous wealthy ZIP codes at the top?
They can be now. The overall score is built only from crime and schools, so an affluent area with excellent schools and low crime scores high regardless of price — Beverly Hills (90210) lands in the low 90s, for example. What keeps most wealthy big-city ZIPs just below the ceiling is school-to-school variation and crime that, while low, rarely hits the top state-relative band. Home price is shown separately as an affordability score and never lowers the overall.
Is the crime score national or state-relative?
State-relative — a ZIP is compared with its own state's average. See how NeighborScore works for the full formula. NeighborScore is a research tool; visit any area before deciding to move.