Best Places to Live

Money's list of America's best small towns

Chicago, IL

Vote for this town as fan favorite: Thanks for liking one of Money's Best Places to Live. Now take charge of your financial life: Like Money magazine on Facebook for analysis and advice you can trust. Top companies \| Home deals \| More Top 100 rank: N.A.^c Population: 2,843,864 Compare Chicago to Top 10 Best Places Subscribe to Money Magazine Fan Favorite Towns It's your turn to choose. Which town should be No. 1? Fan Favorite Foods Share your town's specialty and pick your top dish.

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Top 100 rank: N.A.^c
Population: 2,843,864
Compare Chicago to Top 10 Best Places

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Fan Favorite Towns

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Fan Favorite Foods

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Are these great places to live, or what?

Chicago stats

	City stats	Best places avg.
Median family income (per year)	$51,493	$99,975
Job growth % (2000-2010)*	3.99%	24.63%
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Median home price	$215,000	$265,929
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Test scores reading (% above/below state average)	-12.1%	25.1%
Test scores math (% above/below average)	-10.4%	24.7%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)	10³	1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)	46³	16
Restaurants (within 15 miles)	13,066	2,758
High temp in July ° F	84.4°	84.1°
Low temp in Jan ° F	18.3°	20.9°
Median age	32.8	36.35

Financial	City stats	Best places avg.
Median family income (per year)	$51,493	$99,975
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)	$56,462	$95,706
State sales tax	6.25%	5.75%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)	N.A.^I	7.37%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)	5.00%^I	3.13%
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)	$1,442	$1,687
Job growth % (2000-2010)*	3.99%	24.63%
See jobs near Chicago
Housing
Median home price	$215,000	$265,929
Average property taxes (2010)	$1,754	$4,083
See Chicago homes for sale
Education
Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles)	59	28
Test scores reading (% above/below state average)	-12.1%	25.1%
Test scores math (% above/below average)	-10.4%	24.7%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)	85.3/14.7	92.1/7.9
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)	50.0%	78.5%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)	10³	1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)	46³	16
Median commute time (in minutes)	31.4	23.3
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer	30.7%	15.4%
% population walk or bike to work	6.9%	2.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters (within 15 miles)	114	30
Restaurants (within 15 miles)	13,066	2,758
Bars (within 15 miles)	1,464	208
Public golf courses (within 30 miles)	435	165
Libraries (within 15 miles)	279	74
Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles)	17	10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles)	14	16
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)	0.6	1.2
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)	38.01	39.07
% clear days in the area	23	27
High temp in July ° F	84.4°	84.1°
Low temp in Jan ° F	18.3°	20.9°
Meet the neighbors
Median age	32.8	36.35
Completed at least some college (% of residents)	54.5%	74.5%
Married %	35.6%	61.5%
Divorced %	8.8%	7.6%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)	306.7	71.0

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More financial, housing, school, quality of life stats

From the September 2011 issue

Notes: *County data
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2009 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.

(I) Income tax notes:
Illinois's flat tax rate increased from 3% to 5%, effective January 1, 2011.
c = Only cities with populations between 8,500 and 50,000 were eligible for this year's Best Places to Live list.

Galleries and more

Best home deals

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Helping transplant patients

Neighbors pitch in to help create the Restoring Hope Transplant House in Middleton, WI, no. 8 on Best Places.
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Big-money towns

Great Falls, Va., residents pull in more than $350,000 a year. Which other places have high incomes?
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Fun festivals

You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio. Ketchup lovers beware in Middleton, WI. See unique town festivals.
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Rich and single

Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? These wealthy cities are brimming with unattached professionals.
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Why kids love Leesburg

Children show and tell what they love most about life in this Virginia town, no. 4 on the Best Places list.
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Where the jobs are

These 25 counties have experienced the most job growth over the last nine years.
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A backyard business with buzz

The Rzpekas became beekeepers by accident. But it inspired Beecology, their thriving bath and beauty firm.
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Where homes are affordable

Residents who buy real estate in these 25 growing towns see their incomes go the furthest.
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70+ years in one town

78-year-old Ron Roeser still lives next door to the home where he grew up in Chanhassen, MN.
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Best Places Jeopardy!

TV's Jeopardy! will feature a category of Best Places clues. Try the online version’s questions.
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Homes for sale
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Fan Favorite Food

We asked readers to share their favorite hometown dishes. Now it’s time for you to choose: The most popular dish will be named Fan Favorite!

Hometown dish	Town
1. Low Cal Tex Mex	Seguin, TX
2. Chile Relleno	Seguin, TX
3. Super Bowl Breakfast	Jamestown, CA,
4. Texas BBQ	Luling, TX
5. Shrimp 'n Grits to die for!	Raleigh, NC

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Fan Favorite Towns

Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town	# of Likes
1. Saratoga Springs, NY	407
2. Glen Ellyn, IL	202
3. Castle Rock, CO	199
4. Mason, OH	181
5. Oswego, IL	172

See the rest

Find Your Best Places

How we picked the Best Places

Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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Best Places to Live

Money's list of America's best small towns