Best Places49022, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 49022, 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.
49022 ranks 31,320th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 49022
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.
49022's strengths and weaknesses
Where 49022 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute19.1 minutes each way, better than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$624 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 49022 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Household income$46,139 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 49022
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 49022 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $46,139, 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 49022's effective rate of 1.11%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 49022
49022's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 49022.
Who works in 49022, and how
Work in 49022 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 49022
49022 has more parkland per resident than 75% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 49022 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 49022, month by month
49022 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 29° | 21° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 61° |
| October | 66° | 55° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 49022
The nearest airport, South Bend International, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around 49022
Schools across 49022 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lincoln SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Coloma Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Riverside SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Upton Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Watervliet Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Dowagiac Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- St Joseph High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- South Haven High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Watervliet Senior High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 49022 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
49022 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 49022 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 49022 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 49022
Is 49022 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 49022 ranks 31,320th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on the schools and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 49022 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $149,935. The overall cost of living runs about 26% below the national average. Set against a $46,139 median income, cost of living beats 16% of zip codes.
Is 49022 safe?
49022 is safer than 11% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $743 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 49022?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 36 with lows near 21. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of zip codes.
Is 49022 good for families?
Schools beat 0% of zip codes, crime safety beats 11%, and childcare runs $624 a month.
Compare 49022 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 49022. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 49022 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.
49022 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 49022: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 49022: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 49022: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 49022: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
49022 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.