What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Melrose Heights?
Melrose Heights is ranked #13 of 77 eligible neighborhoods in Columbia; #14 of 160 eligible neighborhoods in SC; and #886 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Melrose Heights
Columbia, SC | Richland County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
72.9
Stability and Strength
68.7
Value Opportunity
65.9
Momentum
89.5
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Columbia, SC |
| County | Richland County |
| National rank | #886 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #14 of 160 |
| City rank | #13 of 77 |
| County rank | #13 of 77 |
| National percentile | 94.1 |
| National band | TOP_10_PERCENT |
Neighborhood Expert Opportunity
Become the Neighborhood Expert for this market
Inquire about this marketUnsold commercial placement. No local expert is currently assigned.
Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $446,840 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 8.4% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.32% |
| Home value to income ratio | 4.47 |
| Median household income | $99,882 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 74.7% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 1.5% |
| Homeownership rate | 63.0% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 19.2% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 42.5% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Melrose Heights
Is Melrose Heights one of the best neighborhoods in Columbia?
Melrose Heights has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 72.9 and a city ranking of #13 of 77 eligible neighborhoods in Columbia.
How much are homes worth in Melrose Heights?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Melrose Heights is approximately $446,840.
Are home values rising or falling in Melrose Heights?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 8.4% year over year and 0.32% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Melrose Heights?
Melrose Heights has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 89.5. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Melrose Heights?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $99,882.
How affordable is Melrose Heights relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 4.47. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Melrose Heights primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 63.0%.
What is the unemployment rate in Melrose Heights?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 1.5%.
How educated are residents of Melrose Heights?
Approximately 74.7% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Melrose Heights face high rent burden?
Approximately 42.5% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Melrose Heights?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications62
Estimated originations41
Home-purchase applications31
Origination rate66.0%
Home-purchase share49.4%
Average application loan$259,661
Total application loan amount$16,164,563
National application rank#6,339 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 52.6% YoY; originations 48.8% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.