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Moving to
Gages Lake.
Gages Lake is an unincorporated community in Lake County, IL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Gages Lake
Gages Lake is an unincorporated community in Illinois with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, a growing population, 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. Gages Lake deals with rent well above the national average, cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 43" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Gages Lake compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Gages Lake
Based on Gages Lake's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,386
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $67,720 a year
- 47% of Gages Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,100
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,050
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 20% above US
$1,693/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,693 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $310,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $310,500 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lake County is 4.7%, 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.
Lake County (county-wide)
Safety
73 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Gages Lake doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Lake County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 383/100k · Policed by Lake County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 18% 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
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 (49 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Gages Lake's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,693/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Gages Lake
All Illinois guides →Moving to Grayslake →
3 mi away · pop. 20,929
Rent $1,485/mo · Income $113,972
Compare with Gages Lake →Moving to Libertyville →
5 mi away · pop. 20,525
Rent $1,637/mo · Income $165,667
Compare with Gages Lake →Moving to Lindenhurst →
5 mi away · pop. 14,417
Rent $1,768/mo · Income $131,474
Compare with Gages Lake →Not sure Gages Lake is the one?
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