Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Median home value$481,200
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,762/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households37%
Chicago 33%
Evanston
Cook County76,340 residents2 school districts
69
B−
Suburbgrade score
9th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by employment & income.
69
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Evanston yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 69 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 Evanston is like to live in, by category
Bars show Evanston against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 88/100
A
Within-state proficiency80th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio10.9
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 53/100
C−
Housing cost index126
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.83%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute27.5 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes56%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi28
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 93/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés181
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries15
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks202
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 52/100
D+
Median household income$96,434
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment6.2%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations65%
Chicago 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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 Evanston 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 Evanston on employment & income
Evanston's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Highland Park11 mi from EvanstonB+ 71 B− Buffalo Grove16 mi from EvanstonB 69 B− Northbrook9 mi from EvanstonB 74 B Park Ridge8 mi from EvanstonB− 69 B− Elmhurst16 mi from EvanstonB− 70 B− Glenview7 mi from EvanstonB− 72 B− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Evanston
Is Evanston, IL a good place to live?
Evanston scores 69 out of 100, 9th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Evanston expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $481,200, 49% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.83%. $1,762/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Evanston?
Schools grade A. The districts serving Evanston sit at the 80th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 10.9 student–teacher ratio. Evanston is served by Evanston Twp Hsd 202 and Evanston CCSD 65. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Evanston?
The mean commute is 27.5 min, with 56% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 28% working from home. Transit density is 28 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Evanston?
Within two miles there are 15 groceries, 181 restaurants and cafés and 202 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Evanston old or new?
The median home in Evanston was built in 1953 — 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. 37% 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.