Best Places61421, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61421, 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.
61421 ranks 21,530th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61421
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.
61421's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61421 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 71% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$722 a month, better than 70% of zip codes
Where 61421 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61421
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61421 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,556, 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 61421's effective rate of 1.39%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61421
61421 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 61421.
Who works in 61421, and how
Work in 61421 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 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 61421
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61421.
What the weather is like in 61421, month by month
61421 sees roughly 87 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 25° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 50° | 41° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 66° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 61421
The nearest airport, General Downing - Peoria International, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 106 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61421
Schools across 61421 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bradford Grade SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Henry-senachwine Grade SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Stark County Elem SchD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Logan Jr High SchoolD · 22% proficient
- Bradford Jr High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
- Stark County Junior High SchoolF · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Princeton High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Henry-senachwine High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Stark County High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61421 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61421 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 61421 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61421
Is 61421 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61421 ranks 21,530th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, quiet, and state infrastructure, 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 61421 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $129,450. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $67,556 median income, cost of living beats 47% of zip codes.
Is 61421 safe?
61421 is safer than 43% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $262 per resident a year.
Compare 61421 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61421. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61421 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.
61421 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61421: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61421: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61421: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61421: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61421 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.