Best Places61940, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 61940, 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.
61940 ranks 27,110th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 61940
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.
61940's strengths and weaknesses
Where 61940 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 81% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$704 a month, better than 73% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 64% of zip codes
Where 61940 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 61940
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 61940 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,321, 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 61940's effective rate of 0.99%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 61940
61940 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 61940.
Who works in 61940, and how
Work in 61940 centers on agriculture & forestry 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 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 61940
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 61940.
What the weather is like in 61940, month by month
61940 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 29° | 22° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 43° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 61940
The nearest airport, University of Illinois/Willard, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Indianapolis International, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around 61940
Schools across 61940 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chrisman Elem SchoolD · 18% proficient
- Shiloh Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chrisman-scottland Jr High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Paris Cooperative High School 4D · 20% proficient
- Chrisman High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 61940 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
61940 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 61940 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 61940
Is 61940 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 61940 ranks 27,110th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, fast internet, and state infrastructure, and lowest on the schools and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 61940 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $91,100. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $67,321 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 61940 safe?
61940 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $394 per resident a year.
Compare 61940 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 61940. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 61940 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.
61940 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 61940: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 61940: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 61940: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 61940: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
61940 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.