Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 65/100
C+
Median home value$449,800
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,656/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households27%
Chicago 33%
Downers Grove
DuPage County50,054 residents2 school districts
68
B−
Suburbgrade score
10th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by commute & transport.
68
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Downers Grove yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 68 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 Downers Grove is like to live in, by category
Bars show Downers Grove against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 81/100
B+
Within-state proficiency79th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.4
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Housing cost index115
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.57%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute27.8 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes56%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi5.4
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés63
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks72
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$115,114
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.0%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations59%
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 Downers Grove 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 Downers Grove on commute & transport
Downers Grove's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Wheaton6 mi from Downers GroveB− 69 B− Evanston24 mi from Downers GroveC+ 69 B− Northbrook25 mi from Downers GroveC+ 74 B Lombard5 mi from Downers GroveC+ 63 C+ Mount Prospect19 mi from Downers GroveC+ 65 C+ Glenview22 mi from Downers GroveC 72 B− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Downers Grove
Is Downers Grove, IL a good place to live?
Downers Grove scores 68 out of 100, 10th 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 Downers Grove expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $449,800, 39% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.57%. $1,656/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Downers Grove?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Downers Grove sit at the 79th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 14.4 student–teacher ratio. Downers Grove is served by Chsd 99 and Downers Grove Gsd 58. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Downers Grove?
The mean commute is 27.8 min, with 56% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 24% working from home. Transit density is 5.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Downers Grove?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 63 restaurants and cafés and 72 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Downers Grove old or new?
The median home in Downers Grove was built in 1974 — close to 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. 70% 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.