46fit
Zilker
$2K median rent
Park first, houses second. Barton Springs and the trail set the pace; prices follow the shade.
WaterfrontFamily streetsWalk 9Safety 74
Austin/Barton Hills
42fit
Barton Hills
Official planning area: Barton Hills
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Hills west of Zilker. Quiet streets, trail access, and a car for most errands.
Best in Austin for familiesWalkable AustinUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
63
20 violent · 318 property · 38.8 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+13 vs city set
Schools
100
Rating 8.8 / 10 nearby+46 vs city set
Walk
5
OSM: 4 groceries · 2 cafes · 16 transit · 18 parks-13 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,820 ACS median vs your rent budget+3 vs city set
Vibe
6
OSM: 2 cafes · 15 restaurants · 2 bars · 18 parks-8 vs city set
Commute to work
From Barton Hills, a typical weekday is 25 min to Downtown, 29 min to UT campus, 41 min to The Domain. Not live traffic.
Downtown is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
25 min
Rainey, Sixth, Capitol · +5 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
UT campus
29 min
Forty Acres · +9 min vs the city-set median
The Domain
41 min
North Burnet tech · +15 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
The ACS median rent is $1,820 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 24% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($92K) could “afford” about $2,289 a month at 30% of pay.
74% of households rent. Median home value is $1,107,160.
ACS median rent
$1,820
30% income budget
$2,289
Rent / income
24%
Median home
$1,107,160
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Austin city. Up 71% since 2014. Barton Hills is 5% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.
Within a walk
Within a short walk of this official planning area: 4 groceries, 2 cafes, 18 parks, and 16 transit stops.
A grocery run on foot is possible; some trips will still need a ride. Parks are close — 18 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (16 stops or stations).
2 cafes and 15 restaurants sit in the same radius.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 8 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
8,721
Median age
36.1
Median income
$92K
Renters
74%
Bachelor+
76%
Violent / 1k
2.3
Property / 1k
36.5
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 3 census tracts · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
WaterfrontFamily streets
Crime is APD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
Barton Hills is the quieter, hillier neighbor of Zilker: tree-lined streets, trail access, and Barton Springs as a habit rather than a destination. Zillow’s Austin guide treats it as the outdoors-first residential neighborhood — laid-back on purpose, with South Lamar as the errand road instead of a scene on the doorstep.
Most errands still want a car. The payoff is shade, topography, and a night that ends when the trail lights do. Weight walk lower than Zilker, safety and schools higher. ACL weekends will still find you.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Reported here lately
City 311 service requests in this official unit, last 14 days. This is what neighbors filed with the city — not a chat thread, and not part of the fit score.
128 reports
- Parking Violation Enforcement13
- Garbage12
- Code Officer11
- Traffic Signal - Maintenance9
- Recycling8
- Traffic Signal - Maintenance
- Animal Protection - Loose Animal Not Dog
- Road Markings/Striping - Maintenance
- Pet Resource Center - Stray Assistance
- Park Maintenance - Building Issues
City of Austin 311 public data, last 14 days. Mapped to Neighborhood Planning Areas. No street addresses stored. Method.
On Reddit
Public posts from r/Austin that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.
No r/Austin posts in this snapshot mentioned Barton Hills.
Last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.
Common questions
Straight answers from the numbers on this page.
Is Barton Hills safe?
Barton Hills is middle of the pack for Part I here (safety 63 vs city 50). APD logged 2.3 violent and 36.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 38.8 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Barton Hills?
ACS median rent is $1,820 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 74% of households rent. Median home value is $1,107,160. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Barton Hills walkable?
Walk is 5 here vs 18 for the Austin set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 4 groceries, 2 cafes, 16 transit stops, 18 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Barton Hills good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 8.8 / 10. Median age is 36.1. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Barton Hills?
25 typical weekday minutes to Downtown. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.
How many people live in Barton Hills?
About 8,721 people. Median income $92K. 76% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Barton Hills?
South Lamar, Zilker, Old West Austin sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official planning areas, start with Barton Hills vs South Lamar.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Barton Hills vs South LamarBarton Hills vs ZilkerBarton Hills vs Old West Austin
43fit
Bouldin Creek
$2K median rent
West of South Congress: cottages, food trailers, and the SoCo strip on the doorstep.
NightlifeWalk 28Safety 21
37fit
South River City
$2K median rent
Travis Heights oaks on the east side of Congress. Porches, hills, and a walk to the lake.
WaterfrontFamily streetsWalk 9Safety 32
35fit
South Lamar
$2K median rent
The corridor south of the river: retail, apartments, and a faster pulse than Barton Hills.
Walk 11Safety 42
34fit
Old West Austin
$3K median rent
Clarksville cottages west of downtown. Close to the lake trail, quieter than Rainey, priced like it.
WaterfrontFamily streetsWalk 0Safety 53