Should I Move To
Roughly 113,054 people live in Peoria, Illinois. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 17% below the national average. Median rent runs about $917/mo; the typical household pulls in $58,068. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 36/100 — a F, putting it at #888 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.
By the composite index, Peoria sits at 83 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($917/mo against $58,068 median household income), housing eats roughly 19% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $146,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 82°F in summer, 22°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 38 inches. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods. Crime statistics are on the rougher end of the US distribution; the citywide aggregate hides safer pockets but the headline number isn't great. Air quality reads good (AQI 49).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Peoria isn't the strongest match. It earns 49/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (94/100); weakest on job market (11/100).
For retirees, Peoria isn't the strongest match. It earns 45/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (94/100); weakest on job market (11/100).
For remote workers, Peoria isn't the strongest match. It earns 51/100 (grade C-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (94/100); weakest on job market (11/100).
For young professionals, Peoria isn't the strongest match. It earns 38/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (94/100); weakest on job market (11/100).
Peoria, Illinois pulls a 36/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #888 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Peoria's cost-of-living index is 83 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 17% below the national average. Median rent runs about $917/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 82°F, winter averages around 22°F, with about 38 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 40/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods.
Peoria has about 113,054 residents, 38% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 36.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Peoria head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Peoria stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
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 Peoria with other Illinois cities scored on UrbRank.
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