Best Places62221, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62221, 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.
62221 ranks 10,859th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62221
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.
62221's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62221 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 62221 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 50 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- 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 5% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62221
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62221 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,283, 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 62221's effective rate of 1.88%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62221
62221's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62221.
Who works in 62221, and how
Work in 62221 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 62221
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62221.
What the weather is like in 62221, month by month
62221 sees roughly 50 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 32° | 25° |
| April | 69° | 56° | 46° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 62221
The nearest airport, Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 28 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62221
Schools across 62221 average a C−, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Scott Elem SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Mascoutah Elem SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Wingate Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mascoutah Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Freeburg Elem SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Shiloh Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Mascoutah High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- O Fallon High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Freeburg Community High SchC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62221 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62221 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 62221 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 62221 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 87% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 13% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 62221
Is 62221 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62221 ranks 10,859th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, what local pay buys, and a stable housing market, and lowest on the weather and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62221 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $223,983. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $93,283 median income, cost of living beats 87% of zip codes.
Is 62221 safe?
62221 is safer than 50% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $256 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 62221?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 25. That works out to about 50 pleasant days a year, more than 1% of zip codes.
Is 62221 good for families?
Schools beat 17% of zip codes, crime safety beats 50%, and childcare runs $956 a month.
Compare 62221 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62221. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62221 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.
62221 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62221: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62221: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62221: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62221: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62221 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.