Best Places47942, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 47942, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
47942 ranks 24,958th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 47942
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
47942's strengths and weaknesses
Where 47942 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 47942 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 47942
A household needs to earn about $27,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 47942 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,987, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 47942's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 47942
47942's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 47942.
Who works in 47942, and how
Work in 47942 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 47942
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 47942.
What the weather is like in 47942, month by month
47942 sees roughly 84 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 27° | 21° |
| April | 61° | 49° | 40° |
| July | 82° | 73° | 63° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 47942
The nearest airport, University of Illinois/Willard, is about 64 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 77 miles away.
The best schools in and around 47942
Schools across 47942 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Prairie Crossing Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- South Newton Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- South Newton Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Benton Central Jr-sr High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- South Newton Senior High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 47942 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
47942 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 47942 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 47942
Is 47942 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 47942 ranks 24,958th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, cheap car insurance, and heat safety, and lowest on internet speeds and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 47942 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $105,715. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $68,987 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 47942 safe?
47942 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $592 per resident a year.
Compare 47942 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 47942. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 47942 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
47942 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 47942: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 47942: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 47942: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 47942: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
47942 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.