Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median home value$281,200
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,335/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Chicago 33%
Oak Lawn
Cook County56,861 residents5 school districts
55
C−
Suburbgrade score
43rd of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by commute & transport.
55
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Oak Lawn yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 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 Oak Lawn is like to live in, by category
Bars show Oak Lawn against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Within-state proficiency32nd pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio13.9
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index91
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.13%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Mean commute30.8 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes49%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi20
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 83/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés106
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks59
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$83,911
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment5.4%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations38%
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 Oak Lawn 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 Oak Lawn on commute & transport
Oak Lawn's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Wheaton21 mi from Oak LawnB− 69 B− Evanston23 mi from Oak LawnC+ 69 B− Lombard17 mi from Oak LawnC+ 63 C+ Elk Grove Village24 mi from Oak LawnC 62 C Skokie22 mi from Oak LawnC 66 C+ Park Ridge21 mi from Oak LawnC 69 B− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Oak Lawn
Is Oak Lawn, IL a good place to live?
Oak Lawn scores 55 out of 100, 43rd of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Oak Lawn expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $281,200, 13% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.13%. $1,335/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Oak Lawn?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Oak Lawn sit at the 32nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 13.9 student–teacher ratio. Oak Lawn is served by Oak Lawn Chsd 229, Oak Lawn-Hometown SD 123, Chsd 218, Ridgeland SD 122 and Alsip-Hazlgrn-Oaklwn SD 126. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Oak Lawn?
The mean commute is 30.8 min, with 49% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 20 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Oak Lawn?
Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 106 restaurants and cafés and 59 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Oak Lawn old or new?
The median home in Oak Lawn 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. 69% 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.