What do 1.5 million Illinoisans over 65 know that the rest of America does not? They know that the Land of Lincoln has some of the best places to call home if you want to retire.
That’s right.
There is more to Illinois than da’ Bears. There are super safe, affordable places for people looking to spend their retirement in the Midwest. We did the research and created a list of the top ten best places in Illinois to retire for 2026.
How’d we determine the best places to retire in Illinois? To identify Illinois’s top ten, we consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 198 cities. We looked at important factors like cost of living, crime, amenities, rent, and distance to the closest national airport for every place with over 10,000 residents.
We discovered that people in this demographic are moving to bigger cities for better access to public transportation, healthcare options, and programs designed especially for them. We found most of the state’s best places to retire center around Chicago.
And don’t forget to give places like Waterloo and Columbia a second look.
$1,269 median rent · $83,533 median income · #78 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Cook County, Illinois
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,414 median rent · $110,295 median income · #100 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Cook County, Illinois
Brookfield is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, 13 miles west of downtown Chicago. The population was 18,978 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Brookfield Zoo.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,493 median rent · $135,795 median income · #117 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
DuPage County, Illinois
Winfield is an incorporated village located in Milton and Winfield Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,718 at the 2000 census and as of 2016 the population was 9,492.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,209 median rent · $123,370 median income · #66 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Will County, Illinois
Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,000 as of the 2010 census. Lemont is home to Argonne National Laboratory and other heavy industrial sites.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$912 median rent · $59,406 median income · #23 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Lee County, Illinois
Dixon is a city and county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 in 2000. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across Rock River, which runs through the city. The Illinois General Assembly designated Dixon as “Petunia Capital of Illinois” in 1999 and “The Catfish Capital of Illinois” in 2009.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$855 median rent · $82,551 median income · #16 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Madison County, Illinois
Highland is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,919 at the 2010 census. Highland began as a Swiss settlement and derived its name from later German immigrants.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,500 median rent · $147,989 median income · #120 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Lake County, Illinois
Barrington is an affluent suburban village in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,327 at the 2010 census. Located approximately 32 miles northwest of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks, and horse trails in a country-suburban setting.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,815 median rent · $235,081 median income · #167 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Lake County, Illinois
Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 19,375. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in 1857 as a stop for travelers making their way south to Chicago. The Lake Forest City Hall, designed by Charles Sumner Frost, was completed in 1898 and originally housed the fire department, the Lake Forest Library, and city offices. Lake Forest is among the wealthiest cities in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,537 median rent · $142,986 median income · #126 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
Cook County, Illinois
Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a Chicago suburb. The population was 37,480 at the 2010 census. It is located 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It is close to O’Hare International Airport, major expressways, and rail transportation. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area, bordering three northwestern neighborhoods of Chicago’s Far North Side
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,924 median rent · $250,001 median income · #180 cheapest rent in Illinois
Located in
DuPage County, Illinois
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Illinois’s statewide median.
Illinois statewide median: $83,390
Illinois statewide median: $285,736
On the map
Where to retire in Illinois
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Prairie State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Illinois to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Prairie State — 1364 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 198 places from across the state.
For these 198, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 198, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Palos Hills, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Illinois.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Illinois
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palos Hills | 47.00 | 18,081 | $83,533 | $280,022 | $1,269 |
| 2 | Brookfield | 50.00 | 19,331 | $110,295 | $345,445 | $1,414 |
| 3 | Winfield | 53.20 | 10,095 | $135,795 | $456,207 | $1,493 |
| 4 | Lemont | 55.90 | 17,820 | $123,370 | $565,404 | $1,209 |
| 5 | Dixon | 56.40 | 14,910 | $59,406 | $167,290 | $912 |
| 6 | Highland | 57.40 | 10,262 | $82,551 | $267,000 | $855 |
| 7 | Barrington | 60.90 | 11,077 | $147,989 | $613,360 | $1,500 |
| 8 | Lake Forest | 61.80 | 19,416 | $235,081 | $1,167,578 | $1,815 |
| 9 | Park Ridge | 63.70 | 38,667 | $142,986 | $564,905 | $1,537 |
| 10 | Hinsdale | 64.70 | 17,175 | $250,001 | $1,244,308 | $1,924 |
| 11 | Westchester | 65.10 | 16,436 | $98,954 | $357,237 | $1,794 |
| 12 | La Grange Park | 65.10 | 13,447 | $120,408 | $480,916 | $1,442 |
| 13 | Palos Heights | 65.70 | 12,152 | $108,740 | $389,153 | $2,558 |
| 14 | Mokena | 67.40 | 20,021 | $123,889 | $443,959 | $1,254 |
| 15 | Winnetka | 69.90 | 12,484 | $250,001 | $1,818,305 | $1,842 |
| 16 | Geneva | 70.50 | 21,258 | $144,341 | $532,206 | $1,768 |
| 17 | Western Springs | 70.50 | 13,446 | $230,255 | $863,783 | $2,006 |
| 18 | Rock Island | 71.60 | 36,151 | $59,041 | $122,693 | $842 |
| 19 | Sterling | 71.90 | 14,717 | $57,350 | $137,875 | $859 |
| 20 | Highland Park | 73.10 | 30,398 | $168,094 | $751,001 | $1,925 |
| 21 | Glen Ellyn | 73.30 | 28,390 | $140,938 | $562,204 | $1,433 |
| 22 | Westmont | 73.30 | 23,724 | $88,090 | $400,412 | $1,533 |
| 23 | Pontiac | 73.30 | 11,294 | $61,279 | $150,834 | $842 |
| 24 | Wood Dale | 74.00 | 13,933 | $91,382 | $347,554 | $1,675 |
| 25 | Northlake | 74.20 | 12,513 | $83,892 | $295,901 | $1,123 |
| 26 | Libertyville | 74.40 | 20,525 | $165,667 | $603,285 | $1,637 |
| 27 | Addison | 74.60 | 35,489 | $90,431 | $372,968 | $1,245 |
| 28 | Prospect Heights | 75.10 | 15,618 | $85,008 | $366,446 | $1,475 |
| 29 | Freeport | 76.70 | 23,505 | $51,723 | $122,934 | $793 |
| 30 | Elmhurst | 76.80 | 45,671 | $149,644 | $613,207 | $1,975 |
| 31 | Des Plaines | 78.20 | 59,156 | $97,875 | $339,855 | $1,606 |
| 32 | Elmwood Park | 78.60 | 23,868 | $91,955 | $338,383 | $1,334 |
| 33 | La Grange | 78.80 | 15,998 | $159,929 | $639,655 | $1,856 |
| 34 | Huntley | 79.50 | 28,005 | $88,536 | $417,547 | $1,622 |
| 35 | Bensenville | 79.50 | 18,603 | $79,515 | $342,928 | $1,407 |
| 36 | Cary | 81.00 | 17,923 | $113,026 | $368,573 | $1,428 |
| 37 | Batavia | 81.40 | 27,151 | $120,056 | $453,319 | $1,347 |
| 38 | Oak Forest | 81.60 | 26,805 | $91,990 | $287,163 | $1,328 |
| 39 | Niles | 82.00 | 30,064 | $75,274 | $399,810 | $1,336 |
| 40 | Crestwood | 82.10 | 10,579 | $75,752 | $190,501 | $1,334 |
| 41 | Lincoln | 82.90 | 13,281 | $57,340 | $130,597 | $828 |
| 42 | Worth | 83.40 | 10,700 | $56,288 | $262,274 | $1,169 |
| 43 | River Grove | 83.50 | 10,451 | $69,858 | $300,774 | $1,214 |
| 44 | Troy | 83.70 | 11,647 | $112,434 | $324,854 | $1,116 |
| 45 | Fox Lake | 83.80 | 11,131 | $70,819 | $248,075 | $1,047 |
| 46 | Moline | 84.40 | 42,197 | $67,701 | $144,032 | $900 |
| 47 | Homer Glen | 85.50 | 24,529 | $136,678 | $505,179 | $1,861 |
| 48 | Lisle | 85.80 | 23,407 | $107,479 | $425,025 | $1,658 |
| 49 | Mattoon | 85.80 | 16,586 | $51,597 | $123,517 | $740 |
| 50 | Edwardsville | 85.90 | 26,474 | $86,721 | $324,629 | $1,306 |
| 51 | Galesburg | 86.20 | 29,481 | $48,297 | $99,822 | $801 |
| 52 | River Forest | 86.40 | 11,992 | $146,786 | $716,652 | $1,554 |
| 53 | Deerfield | 86.50 | 19,518 | $181,660 | $635,444 | $2,482 |
| 54 | Glenview | 87.50 | 47,752 | $143,056 | $663,147 | $2,148 |
| 55 | Ottawa | 87.50 | 18,447 | $71,413 | $206,707 | $920 |
| 56 | Woodstock | 87.60 | 26,147 | $82,758 | $326,640 | $1,212 |
| 57 | Mount Prospect | 87.80 | 55,472 | $101,720 | $433,814 | $1,502 |
| 58 | East Moline | 88.50 | 20,904 | $61,779 | $145,117 | $868 |
| 59 | Darien | 88.90 | 21,879 | $111,215 | $449,623 | $1,857 |
| 60 | Manhattan | 89.00 | 11,026 | $128,522 | $385,490 | $1,213 |
| 61 | Summit | 89.00 | 10,846 | $61,863 | $266,478 | $1,137 |
| 62 | Orland Park | 89.20 | 57,916 | $98,910 | $397,472 | $1,440 |
| 63 | Wheaton | 89.40 | 53,557 | $120,008 | $501,273 | $1,799 |
| 64 | Downers Grove | 89.80 | 50,054 | $115,114 | $494,151 | $1,656 |
| 65 | Franklin Park | 89.90 | 18,197 | $76,519 | $309,736 | $1,109 |
| 66 | Mahomet | 90.10 | 10,049 | $118,586 | $339,545 | $1,396 |
| 67 | Bloomingdale | 90.20 | 22,457 | $102,928 | $428,844 | $1,603 |
| 68 | Wood River | 90.30 | 10,279 | $62,703 | $127,547 | $936 |
| 69 | Effingham | 90.40 | 12,342 | $72,377 | $226,769 | $725 |
| 70 | Antioch | 91.20 | 14,859 | $108,899 | $344,396 | $1,129 |
| 71 | Swansea | 91.20 | 14,710 | $91,587 | $263,376 | $1,137 |
| 72 | Morton Grove | 91.30 | 24,619 | $111,116 | $430,051 | $2,164 |
| 73 | Glen Carbon | 91.80 | 13,977 | $97,168 | $331,015 | $1,097 |
| 74 | Arlington Heights | 92.40 | 76,005 | $116,723 | $470,945 | $1,760 |
| 75 | Taylorville | 92.40 | 10,646 | $57,552 | $131,270 | $828 |
| 76 | West Chicago | 92.80 | 25,395 | $99,927 | $380,371 | $1,469 |
| 77 | Hickory Hills | 92.80 | 14,526 | $77,262 | $325,811 | $1,145 |
| 78 | Mount Vernon | 93.10 | 14,090 | $55,357 | $124,129 | $910 |
| 79 | Skokie | 93.70 | 66,219 | $95,337 | $413,078 | $1,552 |
| 80 | Belvidere | 93.80 | 24,752 | $64,528 | $255,895 | $991 |
| 81 | Belleville | 94.30 | 41,370 | $63,535 | $156,535 | $1,019 |
| 82 | Alton | 94.30 | 25,279 | $54,568 | $103,097 | $1,015 |
| 83 | Palatine | 94.60 | 66,293 | $97,819 | $375,855 | $1,549 |
| 84 | Centralia | 95.10 | 11,856 | $47,807 | $109,743 | $765 |
| 85 | Harvey | 95.60 | 20,230 | $42,429 | $100,310 | $960 |
| 86 | Morris | 95.90 | 14,898 | $76,711 | $307,718 | $1,132 |
| 87 | Berwyn | 96.60 | 55,595 | $78,408 | $307,059 | $1,215 |
| 88 | Jacksonville | 96.70 | 18,014 | $65,432 | $133,976 | $711 |
| 89 | Carol Stream | 97.50 | 39,460 | $102,309 | $377,328 | $1,529 |
| 90 | Frankfort | 97.60 | 20,651 | $154,375 | $487,132 | $2,442 |
| 91 | Bourbonnais | 97.60 | 18,078 | $81,708 | $293,559 | $1,269 |
| 92 | East Peoria | 97.80 | 22,324 | $71,833 | $176,420 | $886 |
| 93 | Wilmette | 97.90 | 27,503 | $190,662 | $961,183 | $1,978 |
| 94 | Tinley Park | 98.70 | 54,842 | $105,189 | $324,474 | $1,495 |
| 95 | South Holland | 99.00 | 20,911 | $85,280 | $222,965 | $1,856 |
| 96 | Bellwood | 99.20 | 18,256 | $79,513 | $242,552 | $1,293 |
| 97 | Wheeling | 99.30 | 38,433 | $85,205 | $305,781 | $1,663 |
| 98 | Collinsville | 99.30 | 24,031 | $67,612 | $192,078 | $1,038 |
| 99 | Grayslake | 99.40 | 20,929 | $113,972 | $361,376 | $1,485 |
| 100 | Richton Park | 99.70 | 12,521 | $64,554 | $214,233 | $1,294 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 198 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Illinois Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Illinois goes to Palos Hills.
The best places to retire in Illinois are Palos Hills, Brookfield, Winfield, Lemont, Dixon, Highland, Barrington, Lake Forest, Park Ridge, and Hinsdale.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley. Not sold on Illinois? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places To Retire In Illinois FAQs
What is the best place to retire in Illinois?
Palos Hills is the best place to retire in Illinois for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Brookfield and Winfield are next.
What are the best places to retire in Illinois?
The best places to retire in Illinois are Palos Hills, Brookfield, Winfield, Lemont, Dixon, Highland, Barrington, Lake Forest, Park Ridge, and Hinsdale. We ranked all 198 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank retirement spots?
We score every qualifying Illinois city on rent, crime, things to do, weather, airport access, and median age. The city that balances all six best, Palos Hills, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Palos Hills?
The median home in Palos Hills runs $280,022, against $285,736 across Illinois as a whole. Across the full top ten, the median home costs $510,556.
Which Illinois place came in last for retirees?
Montgomery lands at the bottom of the retirement ranking for Illinois. Not ready to retire anyway? Then Montgomery might suit you fine.
