Best Places62523, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62523, 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.
62523 ranks 33,021st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 62523
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.
62523's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62523 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Short commute14.4 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 86% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 62523 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62523
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62523 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $28,012, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 62523's effective rate of 1.95%, 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 62523
62523 runs younger 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 62523.
Who works in 62523, and how
Work in 62523 centers on finance & insurance and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 55%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in 62523
62523 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 62523 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62523, month by month
62523 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 29° | 22° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 43° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 62523
The nearest airport, Decatur, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 107 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62523
Schools across 62523 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Johns Hill Magnet SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Hope AcademyF · 1% proficient
Top high schools
- Macarthur High SchoolF · 9% proficient
- Eisenhower High SchoolF · 4% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62523 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62523 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 62523 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62523
Is 62523 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62523 ranks 33,021st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, walkability, and short commutes, and lowest on noise and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62523 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $105,518. The overall cost of living runs about 28% below the national average. Set against a $28,012 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 62523 safe?
62523 is safer than 0% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,287 per resident a year.
Compare 62523 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62523. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62523 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.
62523 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62523: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62523: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62523: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62523: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62523 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.