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What do 1.5 million Illinoisans above the age of 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 are looking to retire.
That's right. There is more to Illinois than da' Bears and a good 'ol fashioned horseshoe, there are super safe, super affordable places for people looking to spend their retirement years in the Midwest. And lucky for you, HomeSnacks has taken the guessing out of the equation: we did the research and created a list of the top ten best places in Illinois to retire for 2023.
How'd we determine the best places to retire in Illinois? Well, we know that when people are searching for the best places to retire, they are also looking for things like convenience and an economy that protects their bottom line; and folks, Illinois' best places to retire have all that and then some. To identify Illinois' top ten, we consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 208 cities. We looked at important factors like cost of living, crime, amenities, rent and distance to closest national airport for every place with over 10,000 residents.
We discovered that people in this demographic are starting to move to bigger cities so that they have better access to public transportation, healthcare options, and programs designed especially for them. This trend is happening in Illinois, and this is why we find most of the state's best places to retire centered around Chicago. But, there are other areas in this flyover state that are just great. So definitely give places like Waterloo and Columbia a second look.
So, where are the best places to retire in Illinois? Keep reading.
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Illinois For 2023
Why did Palos Hills take the top spot? And where are Chicago and Aurora?
Now, HomeSnacks is not your just your average website. We've had more than 50 million people read our published articles and we've been featured in hundreds of media outlets for our best of the best rankings, including this feature by Patch.com. So, yes, we know what we're talking about.
So, what's the best place to retire in Illinois for 2023? According to the latest data, Palos Hills is the best place to retire in the Prairie State for 2023.
To see how your favorite places in Illinois compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.
For more Illinois state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Illinois
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Illinois
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Illinois For 2023
/10
Population: 18,379
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Rent: $1,161
Distance to Closest Airport: 6 miles
More on Palos Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 60,413
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Rent: $1,171
Distance to Closest Airport: 3 miles
More on Des Plaines: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 15,855
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Rent: $680
Distance to Closest Airport: 59 miles
More on Dixon: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 30,971
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 6)
Median Rent: $1,148
Distance to Closest Airport: 5 miles
More on Niles: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,116
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Rent: $1,350
Distance to Closest Airport: 8 miles
More on Palos Heights: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 39,562
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Rent: $1,509
Distance to Closest Airport: 3 miles
More on Park Ridge: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 28,506
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Rent: $1,162
Distance to Closest Airport: 11 miles
More on Glen Ellyn: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 17,148
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $1,831
Distance to Closest Airport: 9 miles
More on Hinsdale: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 19,450
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 2)
Median Rent: $1,882
Distance to Closest Airport: 18 miles
More on Lake Forest: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 12,658
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Median Rent: $1,649
Distance to Closest Airport: 12 miles
More on Winnetka: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Prairie State for 2023
To create our list of the best places in Illinois to retire, we first used 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 208 places from across the state.
For these 208, 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 criteria from one to 208, 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 careers. You can download the data here.
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.
If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- Montgomery
- Round Lake Beach
- Dekalb
For more Illinois reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Illinois?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palos Hills | 18,379 |
| 2 | Des Plaines | 60,413 |
| 3 | Dixon | 15,855 |
| 4 | Niles | 30,971 |
| 5 | Palos Heights | 12,116 |
| 6 | Park Ridge | 39,562 |
| 7 | Glen Ellyn | 28,506 |
| 8 | Hinsdale | 17,148 |
| 9 | Lake Forest | 19,450 |
| 10 | Winnetka | 12,658 |
