Best Places62688, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62688, 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.
62688 ranks 23,106th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62688
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.
62688's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62688 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 80% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 62688 ranks low
- Local economyBetter 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
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62688
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62688 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,259, 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 62688's effective rate of 1.52%, 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 62688
62688 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 62688.
Who works in 62688, and how
Work in 62688 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 62688
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62688.
What the weather is like in 62688, month by month
62688 sees roughly 62 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 | 66° | 54° | 44° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 62688
The nearest airport, Abraham Lincoln Capital, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 86 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62688
Schools across 62688 average a D+, better than 13% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Farmingdale Elem SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Porta CentralD · 20% proficient
- A-c Central Elementary SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pleasant Plains Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
- A-c Central Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
Top high schools
- Pleasant Plains High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Porta High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- A-c Central High SchoolF · 8% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62688 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62688 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 62688 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62688
Is 62688 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62688 ranks 23,106th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, quiet, and civic engagement, and lowest on a weak job market and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62688 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $128,644. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $81,259 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 62688 safe?
62688 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $262 per resident a year.
Compare 62688 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62688. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62688 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.
62688 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62688: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62688: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62688: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62688: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62688 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.