Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median home value$311,400
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,468/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households25%
Chicago 33%
Crystal Lake
McHenry County40,579 residents2 school districts
60
C
Suburbgrade score
31st of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by commute & transport.
60
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Crystal Lake yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Crystal Lake is like to live in, by category
Bars show Crystal Lake against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency64th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.1
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 52/100
D+
Housing cost index101
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.42%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 47/100
D
Mean commute29.3 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi1.5
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés53
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks46
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median household income$108,418
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.2%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations42%
Chicago 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Crystal Lake yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Crystal Lake on commute & transport
Crystal Lake's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
North Chicago25 mi from Crystal LakeA+ 48 D+ Buffalo Grove20 mi from Crystal LakeB− 69 B− Mount Prospect23 mi from Crystal LakeC+ 65 C+ Elk Grove Village24 mi from Crystal LakeC 62 C Gurnee22 mi from Crystal LakeC 60 C Wheeling22 mi from Crystal LakeC 58 C Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Crystal Lake
Is Crystal Lake, IL a good place to live?
Crystal Lake scores 60 out of 100, 31st of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Crystal Lake expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D+. The median home is $311,400, 4% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.42%. $1,468/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Crystal Lake?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Crystal Lake sit at the 64th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 14.1 student–teacher ratio. Crystal Lake is served by Chsd 155 and Crystal Lake CCSD 47. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Crystal Lake?
The mean commute is 29.3 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 15% working from home. Transit density is 1.5 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Crystal Lake?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 53 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Crystal Lake old or new?
The median home in Crystal Lake was built in 1986 — newer than the Chicago median of 1971. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 77% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.