Best Places61025, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61025, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
61025 ranks 19,885th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61025
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.
61025's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61025 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Short commute19.1 minutes each way, better than 88% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 81% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 61025 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- School gradeC, better than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61025
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61025 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,998, 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 61025's effective rate of 1.75%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61025
61025 runs older than the country, 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 61025.
Who works in 61025, and how
Work in 61025 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 61025
61025 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 61025 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 61025, month by month
61025 sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 21° | 12° |
| April | 60° | 47° | 35° |
| July | 84° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 64° | 51° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 61025
The nearest airport, Dubuque Regional, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 141 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61025
Schools across 61025 average a C, better than 34% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Galena Primary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- East Dubuque Elem SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Dubuque Jr HighB+ · 48% proficient
- Galena Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Galena High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- East Dubuque High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61025 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61025 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 61025 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61025
Is 61025 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61025 ranks 19,885th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, short commutes, and civic engagement, and lowest on state finances and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 61025 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $193,445. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $78,998 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 61025 safe?
Yes, 61025 is safer than 60% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $220 per resident a year.
Compare 61025 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61025. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61025 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.
61025 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61025: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61025: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61025: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61025: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61025 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.