Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Median home value$652,300
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$2,463/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households29%
Chicago 33%
Northbrook
Cook County34,585 residents4 school districts
74
B
Suburbgrade score
1st of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on schools and housing & affordability, held back by cost of living.
74
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Northbrook yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 74 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 Northbrook is like to live in, by category
Bars show Northbrook against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 97/100
A+
Within-state proficiency97th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio11.5
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Housing cost index166
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.45%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute26.8 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes60%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi4.2
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés45
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks36
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$157,782
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment3.2%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations69%
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 Northbrook 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 Northbrook on cost of living
Northbrook's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Cicero20 mi from NorthbrookC+ 49 D+ Niles7 mi from NorthbrookC+ 62 C Downers Grove25 mi from NorthbrookC 68 B− Addison16 mi from NorthbrookC 56 C− Elk Grove Village12 mi from NorthbrookC 62 C Des Plaines7 mi from NorthbrookC 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 Northbrook
Is Northbrook, IL a good place to live?
Northbrook scores 74 out of 100, 1st 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 Northbrook expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D. The median home is $652,300, 102% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.45%. $2,463/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Northbrook?
Schools grade A+. The districts serving Northbrook sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 11.5 student–teacher ratio. Northbrook is served by Glenbrook Hsd 225, Northbrook SD 28, Northbrook Esd 27 and Northbrook/Glenview SD 30. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Northbrook?
The mean commute is 26.8 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 32% working from home. Transit density is 4.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Northbrook?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 45 restaurants and cafés and 36 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Northbrook old or new?
The median home in Northbrook was built in 1976 — 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. 78% 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.