Best Places61851, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61851, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
61851 ranks 10,169th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61851
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.
61851's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61851 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Household income$106,415 median, better than 84% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 61851 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 13% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,319 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61851
A household needs to earn about $52,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61851 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $106,415, 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 61851's effective rate of 1.50%, 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 61851
61851 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 61851.
Who works in 61851, and how
Work in 61851 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 61851
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61851.
What the weather is like in 61851, month by month
61851 sees roughly 117 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 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° | 27° | 21° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 68° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 61851
The nearest airport, University of Illinois/Willard, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 115 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61851
Schools across 61851 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- White Heath Elem SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Unity WestC · 31% proficient
- Vernon L Barkstall Elementary SchC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Monticello Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Unity Jr High SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Bement Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Unity High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Monticello High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Tuscola High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61851 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61851 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 61851 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61851
Is 61851 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61851 ranks 10,169th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, what local pay buys, and high incomes, 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 61851 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $180,725. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $106,415 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 61851 safe?
Yes, 61851 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $207 per resident a year.
Compare 61851 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61851. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61851 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.
61851 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61851: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61851: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61851: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61851: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61851 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.