Best Places62960, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62960, 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.
62960 ranks 25,706th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62960
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.
62960's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62960 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute19.5 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 62960 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62960
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62960 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $63,914, 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 62960's effective rate of 1.41%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62960
62960 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62960.
Who works in 62960, and how
Work in 62960 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 62960
62960 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 62960 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 62960, month by month
62960 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 28° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 48° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 70° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 62960
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 135 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62960
Schools across 62960 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin Elem SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Jefferson Elem SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Unity Elem SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Massac Jr High SchoolC− · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Massac County High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
- Joppa Jr & Sr High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62960 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62960 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 62960 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62960
Is 62960 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62960 ranks 25,706th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, short commutes, and a stable housing market, 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 62960 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $134,253. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $63,914 median income, cost of living beats 50% of zip codes.
Is 62960 safe?
62960 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $261 per resident a year.
Compare 62960 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62960. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62960 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.
62960 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62960: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62960: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62960: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62960: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62960 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.