Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Illinois a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Illinois.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Prairie State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Illinois, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 102 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Prairie State for 2022.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Illinois For 2022
Monroe County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Illinois. And you might want to avoid Alexander County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Illinois, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Illinois and the cheapest places to live in Illinois.
The Best Counties To Live In Illinois For 2022
1. Monroe County
Biggest Place: Columbia
Population: 34,444
Median Income: $89,648.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $220,600.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (3rd best)
More on Monroe County: Photos | Data
2. Menard County
Biggest Place: Petersburg
Population: 12,261
Median Income: $77,550.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $151,900.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (48th best)
More on Menard County: Photos | Data
3. Piatt County
Biggest Place: Monticello
Population: 16,412
Median Income: $73,668.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $143,000.0 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (20th best)
More on Piatt County: Photos | Data
4. Grundy County
Biggest Place: Morris
Population: 50,798
Median Income: $75,767.0 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $199,800.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (38th best)
More on Grundy County: Photos | Data
5. Kendall County
Biggest Place: Aurora
Population: 127,583
Median Income: $96,854.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $243,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (27th best)
More on Kendall County: Photos | Data
6. Putnam County
Biggest Place: Granville
Population: 5,720
Median Income: $64,694.0 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $134,800.0 (26th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7% (6th best)
More on Putnam County: Data
7. Mchenry County
Biggest Place: Crystal Lake
Population: 307,291
Median Income: $90,014.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $234,000.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (45th best)
More on Mchenry County: Photos | Data
8. Calhoun County
Biggest Place: Hardin
Population: 4,782
Median Income: $66,602.0 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $131,800.0 (28th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (39th best)
More on Calhoun County: Data
9. Jersey County
Biggest Place: Jerseyville
Population: 21,776
Median Income: $67,845.0 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $148,800.0 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (3best)
More on Jersey County: Photos | Data
10. Washington County
Biggest Place: Centralia
Population: 13,967
Median Income: $64,390.0 (20th best)
Median Home Price: $117,400.0 (39th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (56th best)
More on Washington County: Photos | Data
Methodology: How do you determine which Illinois county is the best?
To give you the best county in Illinois, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Illinois across each of the criteria from one to 102, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Illinois”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Prairie State.
Read on to see why Monroe County is the best county, while Alexander County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Illinois.
Summary: The Best Counties In Illinois To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Illinois can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Illinois according to the data:
- Alexander County
- Saline County
- Marion County
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Best Places To Buy A House In Illinois
- Best Places To Retire In Illinois
- Richest Cities In Illinois