Best PlacesWashington, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Washington, 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.
Washington ranks 8,677th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Washington
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.
Washington's strengths and weaknesses
Where Washington ranks high
- BikingBetter than 96% of towns
- TransitBetter than 94% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of towns
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of towns
Where Washington ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 3% of towns
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,088 a month, better than only 18% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Washington
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Washington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,409, 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 Washington's effective rate of 2.12%, 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 Washington
Washington's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Washington.
Who works in Washington, and how
Work in Washington centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Washington
Washington has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of towns and more parkland per resident than 90% of towns. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Washington and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Washington, month by month
Washington sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 27° | 18° |
| April | 66° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 66° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Washington
The nearest airport, General Downing - Peoria International, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago Midway International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around Washington
Schools across Washington average a B−, better than 56% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Central Primary SchA− · 60% proficient
- Metamora Grade SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Lincoln Grade SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Reservoir Gifted SchoolA+ · 81% proficient
- Central Intermediate SchA− · 58% proficient
- Washington Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Eureka High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Metamora High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Washington Comm High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Washington school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Washington 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 Washington against the other 50,332 towns.
Who Washington suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of towns, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 16% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Washington
Is Washington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Washington ranks 8,677th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on biking, transit, and civic engagement, and lowest on property taxes and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Washington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $209,332. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $93,409 median income, cost of living beats 78% of towns.
Is Washington safe?
Yes, Washington is safer than 79% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $177 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Washington?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 36 with lows near 18. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of towns.
Is Washington good for families?
Schools beat 56% of towns, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $1,088 a month.
Compare Washington with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Washington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Washington 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.
Washington detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Washington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Washington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Washington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Washington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Washington 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.