Best Places62226, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62226, 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.
62226 ranks 21,901st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Property taxes pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on transit.
The best neighborhoods in 62226
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.
62226's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62226 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 87% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 78% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 77% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 62226 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62226
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62226 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,088, 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 62226's effective rate of 2.02%, 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 62226
62226's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 62226.
Who works in 62226, and how
Work in 62226 centers on health care & social 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 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 62226
62226 has more parkland per resident than 84% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 62226 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62226, month by month
62226 sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 33° | 26° |
| April | 70° | 57° | 46° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 62226
The nearest airport, Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 24 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62226
Schools across 62226 average a D+, better than 13% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wolf Branch Elem SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Ellis Elem SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Union Elem SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wolf Branch Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Pontiac Jr High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Central Jr High SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- O Fallon High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Freeburg Community High SchC− · 30% proficient
- Belleville High School-eastC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62226 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62226 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 62226 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 62226 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 12% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 62226
Is 62226 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62226 ranks 21,901st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, biking, and cell coverage, and lowest on property taxes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62226 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $176,215. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $77,088 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 62226 safe?
62226 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $441 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 62226?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 26. That works out to about 57 pleasant days a year, more than 4% of zip codes.
Is 62226 good for families?
Schools beat 13% of zip codes, crime safety beats 13%, and childcare runs $956 a month.
Compare 62226 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62226. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62226 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.
62226 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62226: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62226: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62226: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62226: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62226 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.