Cost of living in Illinois

Illinois at a glance

Median rent

$1,274

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$83,390

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$263,300

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$5,298

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

28 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.8%

Census ACS, DP03

Illinois's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run level with the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Illinois

These are the most populous places in Illinois, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Cook County

  Population

  5.18M

  Rent

  $1,435

  Household income

  $83,498

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $6,191

  Set as targetPlan

• DuPage County

  Population

  930K

  Rent

  $1,688

  Household income

  $112,096

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $8,007

  Set as targetPlan

• Lake County

  Population

  714K

  Rent

  $1,477

  Household income

  $110,416

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $8,923

  Set as targetPlan

Illinois, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state. French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to visit Illinois, in 1673. Abraham Lincoln lived from 1837 to 1861 in Springfield, which became the state capital in 1837.

• Lincoln Home National Historic Site

  The house and neighborhood where Abraham Lincoln lived as a spouse, parent and neighbor before he became president.

• Pullman National Historical Park

  A planned industrial community in Chicago, known for its urban design and architecture.

• Starved Rock State Park

  Eighteen sandstone canyons along the Illinois River, with rain-fed waterfalls and more than 13 miles of trails.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Illinois

Current owners in Illinois pay a median 2.01% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $5,298 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,084 in Alexander County to $8,923 in Lake County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Illinois

Life expectancy

77.5 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

7.7%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

16.1%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

77

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Illinois as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Illinois

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$6.4B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.38

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$2.9B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Illinois

Side by side

Cook County, IL is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Illinois

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Cook County5.18M
2. 2DuPage County930K
3. 3Lake County714K
4. 4Will County701K
5. 5Kane County517K
6. 6McHenry County313K
7. 7Winnebago County283K
8. 8Madison County264K
9. 9St. Clair County254K
10. 10Champaign County209K

All 102 counties in Illinois

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Illinois next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Illinois beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties