Moving to
Brookfield.

All Brookfield data Compare Brookfield

19,331people live here $110,295median household income▲ 37% above US $1,414median rent per monthNear US average $332,400median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Brookfield

Brookfield is a small city in Illinois with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brookfield deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a population that has been shrinking, and cold winters.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Highly educated workforce
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Above-average commute times
Air quality concerns
Shrinking population
Cold winters
Snowy winters — 42" per year

How Brookfield compares

Median household income

Brookfield$110,295

Illinois avg$83,390

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Brookfield$1,414

Illinois avg$1,274

US$1,413

Median home value

Brookfield$332,400

Illinois avg$263,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Brookfield

Based on Brookfield's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,828

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $56,560 a year
41% of Brookfield renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$66,480

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $33,240
Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,414/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,414 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $332,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $332,400 · 41% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Cook County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Cook County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 85% below US

48 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 523/100k · Brookfield Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 26% above US

33 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.7 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% take public transit; 17% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

66%

Work from home

17%

Public transit

8.9%

Carpool

4.9%

Walk

1.5%

Other

1.1%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 17% above US

42% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Pullman National Historical Park (15 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Brookfield's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,414/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.

See all the data for Brookfield →·All Illinois cities →