How NeighborScore Works: Crime, School & Home-Value Scores Explained
By Sharon Ben-Moshe · June 25, 2026
NeighborScore blends crime and school data into one 0–100 rating for every US ZIP code, with home affordability shown alongside as context. Here's exactly how the formula works.
NeighborScore rates every U.S. ZIP code on a single 0–100 scale built from the two things buyers and renters can least change after they move in: safety and schools. The formula is deliberately simple — overall score = crime × 0.53 + school × 0.47 — and across all 26,277 scored ZIP codes the national average lands at about 62. A separate home-value (affordability) score is shown alongside the rating as context, but it does not move the overall number.
The two scored components
The crime score, weighted 53%, measures how a ZIP's reported violent and property crime compares with its state average, using FBI county and agency data plus city incident reports where available. A ZIP running at roughly half its state's crime rate earns about 95 — the top band — while one well above average scores closer to 25. Because the benchmark is the state, the crime score answers "how safe is this ZIP for its state," not a raw national rate.
The school score, weighted 47%, combines grade-level coverage with math and reading proficiency from federal education data. ZIPs with strong, well-rounded public schools score highest; nationally the school average sits near 61.
Home value is context, not part of the score
NeighborScore also computes a home-value score that reflects how a ZIP's typical price compares with its state median, drawn from Zillow's home-value index — lower relative prices push it up, toward a cap of 95. We show it on every profile as an affordability signal, but it is deliberately left out of the overall score. Affordability measures cost, not neighborhood quality, and folding it in penalized desirable areas simply for being expensive. Treat it as a separate lens on price.
What counts as a good score?
Since the average ZIP scores about 62, anything in the 70s is clearly above average and the 80s and 90s are exceptional. The ceiling is 97 — a ZIP needs both the top crime band (95) and a perfect 100 school score to get there. Ada, Minnesota (56510) is one example, pairing a 95 crime score with a 100 school score.
Where the data comes from
Crime comes from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (county and agency tables) plus city open-data incident feeds, schools from the NCES Common Core of Data and EDFacts, demographics from the Census American Community Survey, and home prices from Zillow Research.
Frequently asked questions
Is a higher NeighborScore always better?
Higher means safer and better-schooled on the blended index, but the right ZIP depends on your priorities. A renter who cares little about schools should look at the crime component directly, and anyone weighing cost should check the home-value (affordability) score, which the overall deliberately excludes.
Why isn't home price part of the overall score?
Because price measures affordability, not quality, and the two often move in opposite directions — the best neighborhoods tend to cost the most. Including it dragged down desirable, expensive ZIPs, so we show home value as a separate context score instead.
How current is the data?
Home prices update monthly, school and demographic data annually, and FBI crime data roughly a year after each calendar year closes — so the crime component typically reflects the most recent fully released year.
NeighborScore is a research tool, not personal advice. Always tour a neighborhood and consult local professionals before making a housing decision.