Best Places62444, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62444, 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.
62444 ranks 25,728th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62444
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.
62444's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62444 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 62444 ranks low
- BikingBetter 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
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62444
A household needs to earn about $34,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62444 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,847, 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 62444's effective rate of 1.38%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 62444
62444 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62444.
Who works in 62444, and how
Work in 62444 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 62444
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62444.
What the weather is like in 62444, month by month
62444 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 31° | 25° |
| April | 66° | 55° | 45° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 62444
The nearest airport, Decatur, is about 39 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62444
Schools across 62444 average a C, better than 29% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Beecher City Grade SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Stewardson-strasburg Elem SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Cowden-herrick Grade SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Moulton Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Stewardson-strasburg High SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Shelbyville High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62444 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62444 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 62444 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62444
Is 62444 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62444 ranks 25,728th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, few empty homes, and tree cover, and lowest on biking and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62444 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $119,097. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $64,847 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 62444 safe?
Yes, 62444 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $213 per resident a year.
Compare 62444 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62444. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62444 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.
62444 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62444: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62444: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62444: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62444: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62444 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.