Moving to
Carol Stream.

All Carol Stream data Compare Carol Stream

39,460people live here $102,309median household income▲ 27% above US $1,529median rent per monthNear US average $335,000median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Carol Stream

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

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Carol Stream deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Low unemployment
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
Cold winters
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Carol Stream compares

Median household income

Carol Stream$102,309

Illinois avg$83,390

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Carol Stream$1,529

Illinois avg$1,274

US$1,413

Median home value

Carol Stream$335,000

Illinois avg$263,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Carol Stream

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

To rent

$3,058

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,160 a year
39% of Carol Stream renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$67,000

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $33,500
Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,529/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,529 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $335,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $335,000 · 39% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 14% below US

3.7% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 82% below US

58 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 640/100k · Carol Stream Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 28.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

71%

Work from home

15%

Carpool

11%

Public transit

1.8%

Other

1.0%

Walk

0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 19% above US

43% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

9 public schools inside the boundary

There are 9 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 (31 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Carol Stream's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above 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 ($1,529/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Carol Stream →·All Illinois cities →