Best Places61111, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61111, 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.
61111 ranks 16,260th 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 61111
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.
61111's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61111 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 82% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 61111 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter 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
- Cheap childcare$1,096 a month, better than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61111
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61111 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,028, 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 61111's effective rate of 1.92%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61111
61111'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 61111.
Who works in 61111, and how
Work in 61111 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 61111
61111 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 77% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 61111 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 61111, month by month
61111 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 49° | 37° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 63° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 61111
The nearest airport, Chicago/Rockford International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 62 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61111
Schools across 61111 average a D, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Seth Whitman Elem SchC− · 28% proficient
- Machesney Elem SchoolD · 19% proficient
- Spring Creek Elem SchoolD · 18% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thurgood Marshall SchoolA+ · 82% proficient
- Harlem Middle SchoolD− · 16% proficient
- Belvidere Central Middle SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Belvidere North High SchC− · 30% proficient
- Harlem High SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Roosevelt CenterF · 4% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61111 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61111 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 61111 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 61111 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 61111
Is 61111 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61111 ranks 16,260th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, biking, and fast internet, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 61111 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $168,863. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $74,028 median income, cost of living beats 61% of zip codes.
Is 61111 safe?
61111 is safer than 52% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $269 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 61111?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 33 with lows near 16. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 29% of zip codes.
Is 61111 good for families?
Schools beat 10% of zip codes, crime safety beats 52%, and childcare runs $1,096 a month.
Compare 61111 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61111. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61111 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.
61111 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61111: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61111: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61111: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61111: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61111 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.