Best Places62262, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62262, 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.
62262 ranks 23,354th 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 weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62262
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.
62262's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62262 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Short commute21.1 minutes each way, better than 80% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 62262 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, 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
- School gradeD, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62262
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62262 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $72,489, 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 62262's effective rate of 1.55%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62262
62262 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62262.
Who works in 62262, and how
Work in 62262 centers on public administration and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 62262
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62262.
What the weather is like in 62262, month by month
62262 sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 32° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 57° | 48° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 62262
The nearest airport, Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 60 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62262
Schools across 62262 average a D, better than 6% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Vandalia Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Mulberry Grove Elem SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vandalia Junior High SchoolD · 19% proficient
- Mulberry Grove Jr High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Vandalia Community High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
- Mulberry Grove Sr High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62262 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62262 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 62262 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62262
Is 62262 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62262 ranks 23,354th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, fast internet, and a strong job 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 62262 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $145,226. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $72,489 median income, cost of living beats 68% of zip codes.
Is 62262 safe?
62262 is safer than 47% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
Compare 62262 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62262. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62262 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.
62262 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62262: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62262: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62262: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62262: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62262 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.