Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 20/100
F
Median home value$204,700
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,029/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households48%
Chicago 33%
DeKalb
DeKalb County40,443 residentsDekalb Cusd 428
44
D
Suburbgrade score
58th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
44
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for DeKalb yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 44 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 DeKalb is like to live in, by category
Bars show DeKalb against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Within-state proficiency17th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.0
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Housing cost index74
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.44%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute23.8 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes70%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi10
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés60
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks48
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 21/100
F
Median household income$46,481
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment10%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations33%
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb on housing & affordability
DeKalb's weakest grade is F. Two suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in DeKalb
Is DeKalb, IL a good place to live?
DeKalb scores 44 out of 100, 58th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is DeKalb expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $204,700, 37% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.44%. $1,029/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in DeKalb?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving DeKalb sit at the 17th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 14.0 student–teacher ratio. DeKalb is served by Dekalb Cusd 428. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from DeKalb?
The mean commute is 23.8 min, with 70% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.3% working from home. Transit density is 10 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in DeKalb?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 60 restaurants and cafés and 48 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in DeKalb old or new?
The median home in DeKalb was built in 1976 — 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. 49% 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.