Best Places61801, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61801, 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.
61801 ranks 24,506th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 61801
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.
61801's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61801 ranks high
- Short commute14.0 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 61801 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Household income$47,500 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61801
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61801 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $47,500, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 61801's effective rate of 2.14%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61801
61801 runs younger 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 61801.
Who works in 61801, and how
Work in 61801 centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 46%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 34%
Life in 61801
61801 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 70% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 92% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 61801 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 61801, month by month
61801 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 28° | 21° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 42° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 61801
The nearest airport, University of Illinois/Willard, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 105 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61801
Schools across 61801 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Leal Elem SchoolD− · 13% proficient
- International Prep AcademyF · 8% proficient
- Yankee Ridge Elem SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Urbana Middle SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top high schools
- Urbana High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61801 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61801 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 61801 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 61801 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 20% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 61801
Is 61801 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61801 ranks 24,506th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, an educated workforce, and walkability, and lowest on property taxes and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 61801 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,781. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $47,500 median income, cost of living beats 10% of zip codes.
Is 61801 safe?
61801 is safer than 9% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $496 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 61801?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 36 with lows near 21. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 30% of zip codes.
Is 61801 good for families?
Schools beat 3% of zip codes, crime safety beats 9%, and childcare runs $1,324 a month.
Compare 61801 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61801. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61801 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.
61801 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61801: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61801: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61801: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61801: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61801 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.