Best Places62701, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62701, 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.
62701 ranks 28,837th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 62701
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.
62701's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62701 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute12.2 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
Where 62701 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$32,377 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62701
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62701 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $32,377, 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 62701's effective rate of 1.92%, 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 62701
62701's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 62701.
Who works in 62701, and how
Work in 62701 centers on public administration 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 74%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 62701
62701 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 99% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 62701 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62701, month by month
62701 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 62701
The nearest airport, Abraham Lincoln Capital, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 82 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62701
Schools across 62701 average a D+, better than 13% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elizabeth Graham Elem SchoolF · 8% proficient
- Mcclernand Elem SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top middle schools
- Benjamin Franklin Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
- U S Grant Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
- Washington Middle SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Springfield High SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Lanphier High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62701 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62701 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 62701 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62701
Is 62701 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62701 ranks 28,837th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, cell coverage, and biking, and lowest on crime and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62701 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $158,600. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $32,377 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 62701 safe?
62701 is safer than 0% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,020 per resident a year.
Compare 62701 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62701. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62701 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.
62701 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62701: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62701: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62701: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62701: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62701 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.