Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 29/100
F
Median home value$190,900
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,205/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Chicago 33%
Waukegan
Lake County89,076 residents4 school districts
51
D+
Suburbgrade score
51st of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
51
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Waukegan yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 51 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 Waukegan is like to live in, by category
Bars show Waukegan against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Within-state proficiency32nd 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 · 61/100
C
Housing cost index80
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate2.43%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 56/100
C−
Mean commute26.1 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes62%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi11
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés44
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks38
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 41/100
D−
Median household income$71,919
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment6.4%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations28%
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 Waukegan 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 Waukegan on housing & affordability
Waukegan's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Northbrook17 mi from WaukeganA− 74 B Glenview20 mi from WaukeganB 72 B− Highland Park13 mi from WaukeganB 71 B− Park Ridge25 mi from WaukeganB− 69 B− Buffalo Grove15 mi from WaukeganB− 69 B− Arlington Heights20 mi from WaukeganC+ 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Waukegan
Is Waukegan, IL a good place to live?
Waukegan scores 51 out of 100, 51st of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Waukegan expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $190,900, 41% below the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 2.43%. $1,205/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Waukegan?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Waukegan sit at the 32nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 12.6 student–teacher ratio. Waukegan is served by Waukegan Cusd 60, Warren Township High School District 121, Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 and Gurnee SD 56. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Waukegan?
The mean commute is 26.1 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 7.6% working from home. Transit density is 11 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Waukegan?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 44 restaurants and cafés and 38 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Waukegan old or new?
The median home in Waukegan was built in 1967 — close to 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. 59% 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.