Should I Move To
Joliet, Illinois comes in at about 150,221 residents. Cost of living comes out moderate — 4% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,174/mo, and the median household income is about $84,971. Overall, 50/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #517 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 104 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's moderate territory. With median rent at $1,174/mo and median household income at $84,971, housing takes about 17% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $233,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 82°F, winters around 22°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 38 inches annually. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests. On the safer side of the national distribution, though not by a huge margin. AQI runs about 47 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Joliet is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is safety (84/100); the soft spot is education (25/100).
Joliet is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is safety (84/100); the soft spot is education (25/100).
Joliet is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is safety (84/100); the soft spot is education (25/100).
Joliet is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 50/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is safety (84/100); the soft spot is education (25/100).
Our overall score for Joliet is 50/100 — a D, sitting at #517 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Joliet sits at 104 — moderate, 4% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,174 a month.
Joliet runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 82°F, winter's near 22°F; 38 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 43/100. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests.
Roughly 150,221 people live here, with 25% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 34.
Drop Joliet into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Joliet with other Illinois cities scored on UrbRank.
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