Best PlacesMcDonough County, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in McDonough County, 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.
McDonough County ranks 2,647th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. State finances pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on low disaster risk.
The best neighborhoods in McDonough County
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.
McDonough County's strengths and weaknesses
Where McDonough County ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 89% of counties
- Educational attainmentBetter than 88% of counties
- Short commute18.6 minutes each way, better than 86% of counties
- TransitBetter than 82% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 81% of counties
Where McDonough County ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 2% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 3% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of counties
- School gradeD, better than only 7% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in McDonough County
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median McDonough County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $54,227, 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 McDonough County's effective rate of 1.88%, 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 McDonough County
McDonough County'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 McDonough County.
Who works in McDonough County, and how
Work in McDonough County centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in McDonough County
McDonough County has more parkland per resident than 95% of counties. That concentrates in some parts of McDonough County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is McDonough County growing, and who is moving in?
McDonough County has lost about 16% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Chicago, IL.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving McDonough County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in McDonough County, month by month
McDonough County sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 68° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of McDonough County
The nearest airport, Southeast Iowa Regional, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around McDonough County
Schools across McDonough County average a D, better than 7% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- West Prairie South Elementary SchB+ · 55% proficient
- Southeastern Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- West Prairie North Elementary SchD · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- Macomb Junior High SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
- Edison Elementary SchoolD− · 19% proficient
- V I T Jr High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Macomb Senior High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Illini West High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Rushville-industry High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every McDonough County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
McDonough County 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 McDonough County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who McDonough County suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 7% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in McDonough County
Is McDonough County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, McDonough County ranks 2,647th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low disaster risk, an educated workforce, and short commutes, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is McDonough County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $116,468. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $54,227 median income, cost of living beats 17% of counties.
Is McDonough County safe?
McDonough County is safer than 20% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $360 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in McDonough County?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 19. That works out to about 57 pleasant days a year, more than 3% of counties.
Is McDonough County good for families?
Schools beat 7% of counties, crime safety beats 20%, and childcare runs $808 a month.
Compare McDonough County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to McDonough County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in McDonough County 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.
McDonough County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for McDonough County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in McDonough County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of McDonough County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in McDonough County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
McDonough County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.