Best Places62537, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62537, 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.
62537 ranks 19,393rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62537
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.
62537's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62537 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Short commute21.7 minutes each way, better than 77% of zip codes
Where 62537 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62537
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62537 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,896, 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 62537's effective rate of 1.76%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62537
62537's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62537.
Who works in 62537, and how
Work in 62537 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 62537
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62537.
What the weather is like in 62537, month by month
62537 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 62537
The nearest airport, Decatur, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 103 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62537
Schools across 62537 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sangamon Valley Intermediate SchD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sangamon Valley Middle SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Sangamon Valley High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62537 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62537 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 62537 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62537
Is 62537 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62537 ranks 19,393rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, few empty homes, and a strong job market, and lowest on state finances and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62537 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $107,200. The overall cost of living runs about 26% below the national average. Set against a $64,896 median income, cost of living beats 62% of zip codes.
Is 62537 safe?
Yes, 62537 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $196 per resident a year.
Compare 62537 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62537. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62537 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.
62537 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62537: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62537: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62537: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62537: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62537 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.