Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Median home value$273,000
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,361/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
Chicago 33%
Elgin
Kane & Cook counties114,934 residents3 school districts
52
D+
Suburbgrade score
48th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
52
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Elgin yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 52 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 Elgin is like to live in, by category
Bars show Elgin against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Within-state proficiency40th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio15.5
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Housing cost index92
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.12%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 48/100
D+
Mean commute28.2 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi2.9
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés39
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks47
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$90,282
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment6.1%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations31%
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 Elgin 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 Elgin on housing & affordability
Elgin's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Elmhurst22 mi from ElginB 70 B− Naperville22 mi from ElginB 71 B− Park Ridge25 mi from ElginB− 69 B− Bartlett9 mi from ElginB− 57 C− Buffalo Grove21 mi from ElginB− 69 B− Algonquin8 mi from ElginC+ 63 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Elgin
Is Elgin, IL a good place to live?
Elgin scores 52 out of 100, 48th 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 Elgin expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $273,000, 15% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.12%. $1,361/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Elgin?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Elgin sit at the 40th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 15.5 student–teacher ratio. Elgin is served by SD U-46, Central Cusd 301 and Community Unit School District 300. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Elgin?
The mean commute is 28.2 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 2.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Elgin?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 39 restaurants and cafés and 47 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Elgin old or new?
The median home in Elgin was built in 1977 — 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. 76% 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.