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Best places to live in Illinois

943 places and 11,357,988 residents in Illinois, United States, ranked for 29 household profiles. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

10#10 Huntley9#9 Cary (Illinois)8#8 Villa Park7#7 Boulder Hill6#6 Algonquin (Illinois)5#5 Wheaton (Illinois)4#4 Lake in the Hills3#3 Bloomington (Illinois)2#2 Oswego (Illinois)1#1 Columbia (Illinois)
Young family fit across Illinois, one dot per place; numbers mark the top 10.weakerbest fit not ranked

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For young families

  1. 1Columbia (Illinois)
    Illinois, 10,191 residents    76
  2. 2Oswego (Illinois)
    Illinois, 33,955 residents    74
  3. 3Bloomington (Illinois)
    Illinois, 78,292 residents    74
  4. 4Lake in the Hills
    Illinois, 29,024 residents    73
  5. 5Wheaton (Illinois)
    Illinois, 53,715 residents    73
  6. 6Algonquin (Illinois)
    Illinois, 30,571 residents    73
  7. 7Boulder Hill
    Illinois, 8,108 residents    73
  8. 8Villa Park
    Illinois, 21,969 residents    73
  9. 9Cary (Illinois)
    Illinois, 17,965 residents    73
  10. 10Huntley
    Illinois, 26,005 residents    73

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For retired couples

  1. 1Villa Park
    Illinois, 21,969 residents    75
  2. 2Wheaton (Illinois)
    Illinois, 53,715 residents    73
  3. 3Clarendon Hills (Illinois)
    Illinois, 8,676 residents    72
  4. 4Winfield (Illinois)
    Illinois, 9,657 residents    72
  5. 5Hinsdale (Illinois)
    Illinois, 17,628 residents    72
  6. 6Libertyville
    Illinois, 20,436 residents    72
  7. 7Quincy (Illinois)
    Illinois, 40,780 residents    72
  8. 8Westmont (Illinois)
    Illinois, 24,941 residents    72
  9. 9Carol Stream
    Illinois, 40,356 residents    72
  10. 10North Chicago
    Illinois, 29,491 residents    72

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For remote workers

  1. 1Upper Alton
    Illinois, 29,251 residents    74
  2. 2Granite City
    Illinois, 29,054 residents    73
  3. 3Godfrey
    Illinois, 17,759 residents    73
  4. 4Edwardsville (Illinois)
    Illinois, 24,992 residents    73
  5. 5Springfield (Illinois)
    Illinois, 114,394 residents    72
  6. 6Columbia (Illinois)
    Illinois, 10,191 residents    72
  7. 7Alton (Illinois)
    Illinois, 27,003 residents    71
  8. 8Collinsville (Illinois)
    Illinois, 24,754 residents    71
  9. 9Lake in the Hills
    Illinois, 29,024 residents    71
  10. 10Bethalto
    Illinois, 9,349 residents    71

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For commuters

  1. 1Naperville
    Illinois, 147,100 residents    84
  2. 2Elgin (Illinois)
    Illinois, 112,111 residents    81
  3. 3Aurora (Illinois)
    Illinois, 200,661 residents    81
  4. 4Joliet (Illinois)
    Illinois, 147,861 residents    80
  5. 5Wheaton (Illinois)
    Illinois, 53,715 residents    79
  6. 6Lisle
    Illinois, 22,964 residents    79
  7. 7Woodridge (Illinois)
    Illinois, 33,370 residents    77
  8. 8Oswego (Illinois)
    Illinois, 33,955 residents    77
  9. 9Warrenville (Illinois)
    Illinois, 13,317 residents    77
  10. 10Crest Hill
    Illinois, 21,153 residents    77

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For single professionals

  1. 1Naperville
    Illinois, 147,100 residents    78
  2. 2Chicago
    Illinois, 2,664,452 residents    76
  3. 3Wheaton (Illinois)
    Illinois, 53,715 residents    74
  4. 4Aurora (Illinois)
    Illinois, 200,661 residents    71
  5. 5Cicero (Illinois)
    Illinois, 83,886 residents    70
  6. 6Woodridge (Illinois)
    Illinois, 33,370 residents    70
  7. 7Elgin (Illinois)
    Illinois, 112,111 residents    70
  8. 8Joliet (Illinois)
    Illinois, 147,861 residents    70
  9. 9Downers Grove
    Illinois, 49,732 residents    70
  10. 10Elmhurst (Illinois)
    Illinois, 45,957 residents    69

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For movers on a budget

  1. 1Creve Coeur (Illinois)
    Illinois, 5,272 residents    68
  2. 2East Peoria
    Illinois, 23,080 residents    68
  3. 3Columbia (Illinois)
    Illinois, 10,191 residents    67
  4. 4Quincy (Illinois)
    Illinois, 40,780 residents    66
  5. 5Granite City
    Illinois, 29,054 residents    66
  6. 6Upper Alton
    Illinois, 29,251 residents    65
  7. 7Marquette Heights
    Illinois, 2,742 residents    65
  8. 8Pekin
    Illinois, 33,223 residents    65
  9. 9Bloomington (Illinois)
    Illinois, 78,292 residents    65
  10. 10Glen Carbon
    Illinois, 12,966 residents    64

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All profiles in Illinois

ProfileTop placeScorePlaces that pass
Young familyColumbia (Illinois)76558
Low-income householdEast Peoria73440
Low-income familyCreve Coeur (Illinois)78388
Single parentCreve Coeur (Illinois)79313
Pensioner coupleVilla Park75435
Single pensionerVilla Park78435
Early retireeVilla Park73472
Single professionalNaperville78241
Young professionalNaperville80230
DINKSNaperville83161
Remote workerUpper Alton74345
CommuterNaperville84314
Car-free householdChicago90190
StudentChicago86129
First-home buyerEast Peoria75388
Budget-constrained moverCreve Coeur (Illinois)68515
Urban lifestyle seekerChicago85206
Expat professionalNaperville82345
Healthcare-first moverWinfield (Illinois)83435
Nature-focused householdPawnee (Illinois)65778
Cross-border commuter–0
Outdoor and mountain loverShelbyville (Illinois)42715
Rural value seekerMcLeansboro67778
High-net-worth moverWheaton (Illinois)86715
Lottery winnerNaperville84943
Climate-resilient relocationVilla Park76515
Coastal livingHighland Park (Illinois)73223
Business ownerNaperville81515
Digital nativeChicago80254

Towns of 30,000+ in Illinois