Best Places61537, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61537, 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.
61537 ranks 21,937th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61537
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.
61537's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61537 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$704 a month, better than 73% of zip codes
Where 61537 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61537
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61537 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,747, 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 61537's effective rate of 1.78%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61537
61537 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 61537.
Who works in 61537, and how
Work in 61537 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 61537
61537 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 61537 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 61537, month by month
61537 sees roughly 78 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 61537
The nearest airport, General Downing - Peoria International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 96 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61537
Schools across 61537 average a D, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bradford Grade SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Henry-senachwine Grade SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Midland Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Midland Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Bradford Jr High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Princeton High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Midland High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Henry-senachwine High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61537 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61537 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 61537 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61537
Is 61537 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61537 ranks 21,937th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, fast internet, and walkability, 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 61537 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $127,371. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $67,747 median income, cost of living beats 48% of zip codes.
Is 61537 safe?
61537 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $249 per resident a year.
Compare 61537 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61537. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61537 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.
61537 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61537: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61537: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61537: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61537: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61537 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.