Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median home value$355,600
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,549/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
Chicago 33%
Palatine
Cook County66,293 residents2 school districts
61
C
Suburbgrade score
24th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by commute & transport.
61
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Palatine yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 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 Palatine is like to live in, by category
Bars show Palatine against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 74/100
B
Within-state proficiency69th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio14.3
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 54/100
C−
Housing cost index107
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.20%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 52/100
D+
Mean commute27.7 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes57%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 72/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés44
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks58
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median household income$97,819
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.1%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations50%
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 Palatine 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 Palatine on commute & transport
Palatine's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
North Chicago17 mi from PalatineA+ 48 D+ Wheaton18 mi from PalatineB− 69 B− Buffalo Grove5 mi from PalatineB− 69 B− Highland Park13 mi from PalatineB− 71 B− Evanston19 mi from PalatineC+ 69 B− Northbrook11 mi from PalatineC+ 74 B Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Palatine
Is Palatine, IL a good place to live?
Palatine scores 61 out of 100, 24th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Palatine expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $355,600, 10% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.20%. $1,549/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Palatine?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Palatine sit at the 69th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 14.3 student–teacher ratio. Palatine is served by Township Hsd 211 and Palatine CCSD 15. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Palatine?
The mean commute is 27.7 min, with 57% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Palatine?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 44 restaurants and cafés and 58 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Palatine old or new?
The median home in Palatine was built in 1977 — 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. 58% 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.