Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 61/100
C
Median home value$377,400
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,819/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Chicago 33%
St. Charles
Kane County32,854 residentsSt Charles Cusd 303
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by cost of living.
65
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for St. Charles yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 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 St. Charles is like to live in, by category
Bars show St. Charles against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 88/100
A
Within-state proficiency91st pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio13.5
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 45/100
D
Housing cost index113
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.21%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 52/100
D+
Mean commute27.0 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes60%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi0.8
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 70/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés55
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks77
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$114,300
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment4.1%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations47%
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 St. Charles 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 St. Charles on cost of living
St. Charles's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
DeKalb22 mi from St. CharlesC+ 44 D Downers Grove17 mi from St. CharlesC 68 B− Addison16 mi from St. CharlesC 56 C− Elk Grove Village17 mi from St. CharlesC 62 C Des Plaines22 mi from St. CharlesC 66 C+ Wheeling25 mi from St. CharlesC 58 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 St. Charles
Is St. Charles, IL a good place to live?
St. Charles scores 65 out of 100, 18th 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 St. Charles expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D. The median home is $377,400, 17% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.21%. $1,819/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in St. Charles?
Schools grade A. The districts serving St. Charles sit at the 91st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 13.5 student–teacher ratio. St. Charles is served by St Charles Cusd 303. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from St. Charles?
The mean commute is 27.0 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 15% working from home. Transit density is 0.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in St. Charles?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 55 restaurants and cafés and 77 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in St. Charles old or new?
The median home in St. Charles was built in 1984 — 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. 73% 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.