Best Places61729, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61729, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
61729 ranks 5,318th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61729
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.
61729's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61729 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 61729 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 7% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61729
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61729 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $112,824, 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 61729's effective rate of 1.74%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61729
61729 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 61729.
Who works in 61729, and how
Work in 61729 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 61729
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61729.
What the weather is like in 61729, month by month
61729 sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 20° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 66° | 55° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 61729
The nearest airport, Central Il Regional/Bloomington- Normal, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61729
Schools across 61729 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Congerville Elem SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Goodfield Elem SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Olympia North Elem SchC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Eureka Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Olympia Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Eureka High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Olympia High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61729 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61729 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 61729 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61729
Is 61729 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61729 ranks 5,318th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, what local pay buys, and few empty homes, 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 61729 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $310,434. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $112,824 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 61729 safe?
Yes, 61729 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $134 per resident a year.
Compare 61729 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61729. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61729 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.
61729 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61729: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61729: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61729: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61729: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61729 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.