Should I Move To
Roughly 89,435 people live in Waukegan, Illinois. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,132/mo; the typical household pulls in $66,077. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 60/100 — a C+, putting it at #130 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, Waukegan sits at 102 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,132/mo against $66,077 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $164,400.
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. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential. Crime numbers are reassuringly low here, well under the typical US city. AQI runs about 42 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Waukegan is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 60/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is safety (97/100); the soft spot is education (16/100).
For retirees, Waukegan is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 64/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is safety (97/100); the soft spot is education (16/100).
For remote workers, Waukegan is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 64/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is safety (97/100); the soft spot is education (16/100).
For young professionals, Waukegan is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 57/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is safety (97/100); the soft spot is education (16/100).
Our overall score for Waukegan is 60/100 — a C+, sitting at #130 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Waukegan sits at 102 — moderate, essentially matching the national average. Median renter pays around $1,132 a month.
Waukegan runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 82°F, winter's near 22°F; 38 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 72/100. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential.
Roughly 89,435 people live here, with 21% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 35.
Drop Waukegan 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 Waukegan with other Illinois cities scored on UrbRank.
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