Best Places61027, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61027, 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.
61027 ranks 17,109th 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 61027
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.
61027's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61027 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$673 a month, better than 77% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 61027 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61027
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61027 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,672, 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 61027's effective rate of 1.34%, 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 61027
61027 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 61027.
Who works in 61027, and how
Work in 61027 centers on other services and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment is low, 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 61027
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61027.
What the weather is like in 61027, month by month
61027 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 29, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 22° | 16° |
| April | 59° | 47° | 37° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 62° |
| October | 63° | 52° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 61027
The nearest airport, Chicago/Rockford International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61027
Schools across 61027 average a C, better than 31% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lena-winslow Elem SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lena-winslow Jr High SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Lena-winslow High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61027 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61027 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 61027 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61027
Is 61027 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61027 ranks 17,109th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, civic engagement, and a strong job market, 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 61027 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $237,000. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $83,672 median income, cost of living beats 50% of zip codes.
Is 61027 safe?
Yes, 61027 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $193 per resident a year.
Compare 61027 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61027. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61027 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.
61027 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61027: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61027: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61027: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61027: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61027 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.