Moving to
Crest Hill.

All Crest Hill data Compare Crest Hill

20,628people live here $73,033median household incomeNear US average $1,481median rent per monthNear US average $232,900median home value▼ 30% below US

What it's like to live in Crest Hill

Crest Hill is a small city in Illinois with home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, 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. Crest Hill deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Affordable home prices
Low crime rates
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Air quality concerns
Cold winters
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Crest Hill compares

Median household income

Crest Hill$73,033

Illinois avg$83,390

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Crest Hill$1,481

Illinois avg$1,274

US$1,413

Median home value

Crest Hill$232,900

Illinois avg$263,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Crest Hill

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

To rent

$2,962

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $59,240 a year
46% of Crest Hill renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$46,580

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $23,290
Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,481/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,481 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 $232,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $232,900 · 46% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in Will County is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Will County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 58% below US

139 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 669/100k · Crest Hill Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 28 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

79%

Carpool

11%

Work from home

6.2%

Other

1.9%

Walk

1.1%

Public transit

0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 34% below US

24% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

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 (27 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Crest Hill's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,481/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Crest Hill →·All Illinois cities →