Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Median home value$545,400
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,975/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households24%
Chicago 33%
Elmhurst
DuPage County45,671 residentsElmhurst SD 205
70
B−
Suburbgrade score
5th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on schools and housing & affordability, held back by cost of living.
70
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Elmhurst yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 70 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 Elmhurst is like to live in, by category
Bars show Elmhurst against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 88/100
A
Within-state proficiency85th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio13.6
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 49/100
D+
Housing cost index143
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.72%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute29.1 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes54%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi7.2
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés41
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks61
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Median household income$149,644
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.3%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations62%
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 Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst on cost of living
Elmhurst's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Cicero10 mi from ElmhurstC+ 49 D+ Niles11 mi from ElmhurstC+ 62 C Downers Grove8 mi from ElmhurstC 68 B− Addison4 mi from ElmhurstC 56 C− Elk Grove Village8 mi from ElmhurstC 62 C Des Plaines10 mi from ElmhurstC 66 C+ Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Elmhurst
Is Elmhurst, IL a good place to live?
Elmhurst scores 70 out of 100, 5th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Elmhurst expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D+. The median home is $545,400, 69% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.72%. $1,975/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Elmhurst?
Schools grade A. The districts serving Elmhurst sit at the 85th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 13.6 student–teacher ratio. Elmhurst is served by Elmhurst SD 205. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Elmhurst?
The mean commute is 29.1 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 7.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Elmhurst?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 41 restaurants and cafés and 61 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Elmhurst old or new?
The median home in Elmhurst 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. 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.