Chicago

Best Chicago suburbs for young professionals

Ranked on employment and income at 25%, amenities at 25%, commute at 20%, median rent at 15% (lower is better) and cost of living at 15%. Schools are not counted.

Updated Sep 2026·60 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Lincolnway in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso$267k median · 24.8 min commute
Employment D+Amenities B+Commute C
66
Score
overall 66 C+
2
The Pickwick Theatre in downtown Park Ridge, Illinois. Photograph taken January 6, 2007; processed in hugin to remove keystoning.
Park Ridge$551k median · 29.1 min commute
Employment B−Amenities B+Commute C
63
Score
overall 69 B−
3
Mount Prospect, Illinois
Mount Prospect$397k median · 25.9 min commute
Employment CAmenities B+Commute C+
63
Score
overall 65 C+
4
View of Fountain Square in Evanston, Illinois looking south-southeast towards Chicago and Lake Michigan
Evanston$481k median · 27.5 min commute
Employment D+Amenities A+Commute C+
63
Score
overall 69 B−
5
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Potawatomi word for "marsh". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted
Skokie$387k median · 27.9 min commute
Employment C−Amenities A−Commute C
62
Score
overall 66 C+
6
The Skyline of downtown Wheaton, IL.
Wheaton$456k median · 25.7 min commute
Employment C+Amenities BCommute B−
62
Score
overall 69 B−
7
Lake Street at dusk
Oak Park$466k median · 31.6 min commute
Employment C+Amenities ACommute C−
62
Score
overall 67 C+
8
Downtown Downers Grove
Downers Grove$450k median · 27.8 min commute
Employment C+Amenities BCommute C
62
Score
overall 68 B−
9
City Hall in the Hazel Avenue/Prospect Avenue Historic District in Highland Park, IL (1930). Built with Wisconsin limestone, it is the third city hall built for
Highland Park$607k median · 27.5 min commute
Employment B+Amenities BCommute B−
62
Score
overall 71 B−
10
The skyline of Naperville, IL in 2022.
Naperville$540k median · 30.5 min commute
Employment B−Amenities A−Commute C−
61
Score
overall 71 B−
This list's weighting
Employment 25%Amenities 25%Commute 20%Median rent (lower is better) 15%Cost of living 15%
Other Chicago lists
Best Chicago suburbs for familiesMost affordable Chicago suburbsBest Chicago suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown ChicagoMost walkable Chicago suburbsHow we score Chicago suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Valparaiso (Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 3.0); Park Ridge (Kelly Martin · CC BY-SA 3.0); Mount Prospect (Indy beetle · CC BY-SA 4.0); Evanston (Madcoverboy (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0); Skokie (Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0); Wheaton (Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0); Oak Park (Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0); Downers Grove (Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0); Highland Park (Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0); Naperville (Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0).