Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Median home value$335,600
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,606/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households28%
Chicago 33%
Des Plaines
Cook County59,156 residents4 school districts
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
14th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by commute & transport.
66
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Des Plaines yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 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 Des Plaines is like to live in, by category
Bars show Des Plaines against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 82/100
B+
Within-state proficiency73rd pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio11.5
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index100
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.88%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Mean commute28.2 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi17
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 78/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés77
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks103
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 58/100
C
Median household income$97,875
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.1%
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 Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines on commute & transport
Des Plaines's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
North Chicago20 mi from Des PlainesA+ 48 D+ Wheaton16 mi from Des PlainesB− 69 B− Buffalo Grove10 mi from Des PlainesB− 69 B− Highland Park11 mi from Des PlainesB− 71 B− Evanston11 mi from Des PlainesC+ 69 B− Northbrook7 mi from Des PlainesC+ 74 B Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Des Plaines
Is Des Plaines, IL a good place to live?
Des Plaines scores 66 out of 100, 14th 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 Des Plaines expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $335,600, 4% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.88%. $1,606/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Des Plaines?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Des Plaines sit at the 73rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 11.5 student–teacher ratio. Des Plaines is served by Maine Township Hsd 207, CCSD 62, Township High School District 214 and Comm Cons SD 59. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Des Plaines?
The mean commute is 28.2 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 17 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Des Plaines?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 77 restaurants and cafés and 103 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Des Plaines old or new?
The median home in Des Plaines was built in 1966 — older 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. 67% 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.