What it's like to live in Evanston
Evanston is a smaller 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. Evanston deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and cold winters.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
- Public transit that many commuters use
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
How Evanston compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Evanston
Based on Evanston's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,524
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,480 a year
- 49% of Evanston renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$96,240
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $48,120
- Homes cost 5.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 25% above US
$1,762/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,762 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $481,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $481,200 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.3%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 65% below US
115 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2385/100k · Evanston Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 4 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% take public transit; 29% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 93% above US
70% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
18 public schools inside the boundary
There are 18 public schools inside the boundary and 9 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11:1, 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 (25 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Evanston's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,762/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (29% of workers here already work from home), and people who would rather not drive.
Other places near Evanston
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