Should I Move To
Roughly 44,941 people live in Plainfield, Illinois. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, 6% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,847/mo; the typical household pulls in $143,064. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 38/100 — a F, putting it at #855 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
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, Plainfield sits at 106 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,847/mo against $143,064 median household income), housing eats roughly 15% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $377,200.
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. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Air quality reads good (AQI 48).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Plainfield isn't the strongest match. It earns 44/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on walkability (1/100).
For retirees, Plainfield isn't the strongest match. It earns 26/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on walkability (1/100).
For remote workers, Plainfield isn't the strongest match. It earns 29/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on walkability (1/100).
For young professionals, Plainfield isn't the strongest match. It earns 45/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on walkability (1/100).
Plainfield, Illinois pulls a 38/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #855 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Plainfield's cost-of-living index is 106 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — 6% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,847/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 82°F, winter averages around 22°F, with about 38 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 1/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Plainfield has about 44,941 residents, 54% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 38.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Plainfield 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 Plainfield 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 Plainfield with other Illinois cities scored on UrbRank.
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