Best Places62278, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62278, 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.
62278 ranks 15,403rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. The weather pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on a stable housing market.
The best neighborhoods in 62278
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.
62278's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62278 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 76% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 62278 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 48 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
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62278
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62278 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,901, 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 62278's effective rate of 1.41%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62278
62278'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 62278.
Who works in 62278, and how
Work in 62278 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 62278
62278 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 62278 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62278, month by month
62278 sees roughly 48 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 25° |
| April | 69° | 56° | 45° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 73° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 62278
The nearest airport, Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 43 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62278
Schools across 62278 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- New Athens ElemB · 45% proficient
- Gardner Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Red Bud Elem SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Athens Jr HighB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Waterloo High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Red Bud High SchoolD · 23% proficient
- New Athens High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62278 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62278 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 62278 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62278
Is 62278 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62278 ranks 15,403rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, civic engagement, and few empty homes, 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 62278 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $190,097. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $81,901 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 62278 safe?
Yes, 62278 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $205 per resident a year.
Compare 62278 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62278. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62278 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.
62278 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62278: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62278: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62278: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62278: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62278 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.