Best Places62970, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 62970, 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.
62970 ranks 32,931st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 62970
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.
62970's strengths and weaknesses
Where 62970 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$704 a month, better than 73% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 61% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 59% of zip codes
Where 62970 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$34,809 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 62970
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 62970 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $34,809, 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 62970's effective rate of 1.03%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 62970
62970 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 62970.
Who works in 62970, and how
Work in 62970 centers on retail trade and public administration. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 62970
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 62970.
What the weather is like in 62970, month by month
62970 sees roughly 58 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 36° | 29° |
| April | 70° | 59° | 49° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 62970
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 128 miles away.
The best schools in and around 62970
Schools across 62970 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Century Elementary SchoolD− · 11% proficient
- Meridian Elementary SchoolF · 3% proficient
Top high schools
- Meridian High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 62970 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
62970 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 62970 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 62970
Is 62970 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 62970 ranks 32,931st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, state infrastructure, and affordable childcare, and lowest on the schools and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 62970 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $91,333. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $34,809 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 62970 safe?
62970 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $338 per resident a year.
Compare 62970 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 62970. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 62970 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.
62970 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 62970: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 62970: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 62970: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 62970: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
62970 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.