What it's like to live in Freeport
Freeport is a small city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, 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. Freeport deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a population that has been shrinking, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
- Cold, harsh winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Freeport compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Freeport
Based on Freeport's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,586
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $31,720 a year
- 41% of Freeport renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$18,420
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $9,210
- Homes cost 1.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 44% below US
$793/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $793 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $92,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $92,100 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 16% above US
5.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.0%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 23% below US
253 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 1125/100k · Freeport Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 39% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15.9 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% 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 15°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 47% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Effigy Mounds National Monument (96 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Freeport's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($793/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Freeport
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