Best Places62544, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62544, 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.
62544 ranks 10,834th 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 62544
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.
62544's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62544 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 62544 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62544
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62544 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $87,555, 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 62544's effective rate of 1.59%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62544
62544 runs older 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 62544.
Who works in 62544, and how
Work in 62544 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 62544
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62544.
What the weather is like in 62544, month by month
62544 sees roughly 73 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 62544
The nearest airport, Decatur, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 99 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62544
Schools across 62544 average a D+, better than 12% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mt Zion Elem SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Mt Zion Intermediate SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Meridian Elem SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Meridian Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Okaw Valley Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Central A & M Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Mt Zion High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Meridian High SchoolD · 23% proficient
- Okaw Valley High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62544 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62544 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 62544 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62544
Is 62544 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62544 ranks 10,834th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, low crime, and what local pay buys, and lowest on state finances and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62544 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $146,516. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $87,555 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 62544 safe?
Yes, 62544 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $144 per resident a year.
Compare 62544 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62544. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62544 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.
62544 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62544: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62544: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62544: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62544: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62544 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.