From towns with a few hundred residents to the nation’s third most-populated municipality, Illinois’ cities come in all sizes. But size isn’t everything, especially when it comes to a city’s livability.
AreaVibes, a website that calculates a city’s livability score using a “unique algorithm” that measures education, cost of living, crime, amenities, employment, housing and weather, ranked the top 100 cities to live in Illinois and we’ve listed the 25 best.
But are these really the best or most livable cities in Illinois? Perhaps, if you can afford to live in these towns, the majority of which have failing or below average grades when it comes to cost of living.
While it’s quite expensive to live in these cities – and impracticable for many families — another common denominator is the sub-par weather, but then again, this is Illinois.
Here are the 25 best Illinois cities to live in, according to AreaVibes. If you don’t see your town, a data table follows with scores for the rest of the state’s ranked cities.
[Click on Livability under each map if you want to see a detailed breakdown for each category.]
25. Barrington (Pop: 10,739)
Livability: 83
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
24. Highland (Pop: 9,434)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: A
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: C+
- Housing: C+
- Weather: C+
23. Trout Valley (Pop: 584)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: D
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
22. Burr Ridge (Pop: 10,590)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: C
21. Northfield (Pop: 5,234)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
20. Glen Ellyn (Pop: 27,503)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
19. Elmhurst (Pop: 44,385)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
18. Geneva (Pop: 21,588)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: D
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
17. Deerfield (Pop: 18,452)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
16. Northbrook (Pop: 33,095)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
15. Oak Park (Pop: 51,781)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: B+
- Housing: A
- Weather: C
14. Morton (Pop: 16,255)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: A+
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: B
- Housing: B
- Weather: C
13. La Grange (Pop: 15,563)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: C
12. Edwardsville (Pop: 24,093)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: C+
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: B
- Housing: B
- Weather: C+
11. Glenview (Pop: 44,478)
Livability: 84
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
10. Highland Park (Pop: 29,909)
Livability: 85
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
9. Western Springs (Pop: 12,853)
Livability: 85
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: C
8. Wilmette (Pop: 27,202)
Livability: 85
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
7. Golf (Pop: 590)
Livability: 85
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: D
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
6. Forsyth (Pop: 3,785)
Livability: 85
- Amenities: B
- Cost of Living: A
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: B+
- Weather: C+
5. Hinsdale (Pop: 16,594)
Livability: 86
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: C
4. Glencoe (Pop: 8,728)
Livability: 86
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
3. Kenilworth (Pop: 2,669)
Livability: 86
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
2. Winnetka (Pop: 12,210)
Livability: 86
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
1. Leland Grove (Pop: 1,740)
Livability: 87
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: A
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: B
- Weather: C
Scroll to the left or right to view the grade for each category.
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Kevin Hoffman is a Reboot Illinois staff writer who graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism, political science and international studies. He believes keeping citizens informed and politicians in check is the best way to improve Illinois and bring about common sense reform. Follow us on Facebook.