Best Places61054, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61054, 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.
61054 ranks 23,338th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61054
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.
61054's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61054 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 61054 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61054
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61054 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,845, 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 61054's effective rate of 1.57%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61054
61054 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 61054.
Who works in 61054, and how
Work in 61054 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 61054
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61054.
What the weather is like in 61054, month by month
61054 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 61054
The nearest airport, Chicago/Rockford International, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 79 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61054
Schools across 61054 average a D, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mary Morgan Elem SchB+ · 51% proficient
- Forreston Grade SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Centennial Elem SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Byron Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Aplington Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Byron High School 9-12C+ · 35% proficient
- Oregon Jr/sr High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Polo Comm High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61054 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61054 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 61054 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61054
Is 61054 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61054 ranks 23,338th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, walkability, and low disaster risk, 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 61054 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $155,201. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $58,845 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 61054 safe?
61054 is safer than 37% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $315 per resident a year.
Compare 61054 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61054. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61054 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.
61054 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61054: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61054: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61054: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61054: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61054 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.