Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Median home value$358,700
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,336/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
Chicago 33%
Niles
Cook County30,064 residents5 school districts
62
C
Suburbgrade score
22nd of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by employment & income.
62
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Niles yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 62 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 Niles is like to live in, by category
Bars show Niles against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 78/100
B+
Within-state proficiency67th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio13.0
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index96
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.64%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 54/100
C−
Mean commute28.3 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi32
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 90/100
A
Restaurants & cafés106
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries16
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks93
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 35/100
F
Median household income$75,274
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment6.7%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations43%
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 Niles yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Niles on employment & income
Niles's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Highland Park11 mi from NilesB+ 71 B− Bartlett19 mi from NilesB 57 C− Buffalo Grove12 mi from NilesB 69 B− Northbrook7 mi from NilesB 74 B Park Ridge2 mi from NilesB− 69 B− Elmhurst11 mi from NilesB− 70 B− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Niles
Is Niles, IL a good place to live?
Niles scores 62 out of 100, 22nd 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 Niles expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $358,700, 11% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.64%. $1,336/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Niles?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Niles sit at the 67th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 13.0 student–teacher ratio. Niles is served by Niles Twp Hsd 219, Maine Township Hsd 207, Niles Esd 71, East Maine SD 63 and Park Ridge CCSD 64. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Niles?
The mean commute is 28.3 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 32 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Niles?
Within two miles there are 16 groceries, 106 restaurants and cafés and 93 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Niles old or new?
The median home in Niles was built in 1965 — 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. 60% 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.