Best Places61324, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61324, 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.
61324 ranks 26,219th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61324
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.
61324's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61324 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Short commute15.7 minutes each way, better than 96% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 61324 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61324
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61324 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $55,625; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 61324's effective rate of 1.70%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 61324
61324 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 61324.
Who works in 61324, and how
Work in 61324 centers on utilities and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 61324
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61324.
What the weather is like in 61324, month by month
61324 sees roughly 85 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 24° | 17° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 39° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 61324
The nearest airport, Chicago/Rockford International, is about 34 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 61324
Schools across 61324 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Amboy Central Elem SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Amboy Jr High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Amboy High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61324 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61324 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 61324 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61324
Is 61324 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61324 ranks 26,219th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, short commutes, and a strong job market, and lowest on tree cover and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 61324 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $209,500. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $55,625 median income, cost of living beats 25% of zip codes.
Is 61324 safe?
61324 is safer than 31% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $300 per resident a year.
Compare 61324 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61324. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61324 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.
61324 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61324: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61324: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61324: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61324: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61324 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.