Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Median home value$465,500
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,593/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
Chicago 33%
Oak Park
Cook County53,292 residents2 school districts
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
12th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by cost of living.
67
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Oak Park yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Park is like to live in, by category
Bars show Oak Park against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 90/100
A
Within-state proficiency85th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio12.6
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 42/100
D−
Housing cost index131
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.51%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 53/100
C−
Mean commute31.6 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes41%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi41
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés161
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries15
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks134
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$110,820
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment5.6%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations70%
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 Oak Park 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 Oak Park on cost of living
Oak Park's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Hammond24 mi from Oak ParkB+ 45 D Cicero3 mi from Oak ParkC+ 49 D+ Niles10 mi from Oak ParkC+ 62 C Downers Grove13 mi from Oak ParkC 68 B− Addison12 mi from Oak ParkC 56 C− Elk Grove Village13 mi from Oak ParkC 62 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 Oak Park
Is Oak Park, IL a good place to live?
Oak Park scores 67 out of 100, 12th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Oak Park expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D−. The median home is $465,500, 44% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.51%. $1,593/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Oak Park?
Schools grade A. The districts serving Oak Park sit at the 85th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 12.6 student–teacher ratio. Oak Park is served by Oak Park - River Forest SD 200 and Oak Park Esd 97. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Oak Park?
The mean commute is 31.6 min, with 41% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 41 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Oak Park?
Within two miles there are 15 groceries, 161 restaurants and cafés and 134 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Oak Park old or new?
The median home in Oak Park was built in 1939 or earlier — 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. 43% 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.