Best Places62249, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62249, 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.
62249 ranks 6,024th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62249
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.
62249's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62249 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 62249 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 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62249
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62249 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $104,692, 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 62249'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 and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62249
62249 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 62249.
Who works in 62249, and how
Work in 62249 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 62249
62249 has more parkland per resident than 91% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 62249 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62249, month by month
62249 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 62249
The nearest airport, Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 38 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62249
Schools across 62249 average a B−, better than 53% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Alhambra Primary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- St Jacob Elem SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Marine Elem SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Triad Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Highland Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Triad High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Highland High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Central Comm High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62249 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62249 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 62249 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62249
Is 62249 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62249 ranks 6,024th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, few empty homes, and civic engagement, 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 62249 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $235,946. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $104,692 median income, cost of living beats 95% of zip codes.
Is 62249 safe?
Yes, 62249 is safer than 85% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $167 per resident a year.
Compare 62249 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62249. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62249 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.
62249 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62249: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62249: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62249: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62249: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62249 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.