What it's like to live in Huntley
Huntley is a small city in Illinois with 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. Huntley deals with commute times longer than most cities, cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 35" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Huntley compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Huntley
Based on Huntley's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,244
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,880 a year
- 40% of Huntley renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$66,860
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $33,430
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 15% above US
$1,622/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,622 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 $334,300. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $334,300 · 40% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.2% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 95% below US
17 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 460/100k · Huntley Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 13% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 17°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
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 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 (53 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Huntley's strongest points are crime rates well below the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,622/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 (18% 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 Huntley
All Illinois guides →Moving to Lake in the Hills →
5 mi away · pop. 28,800
Rent $1,689/mo · Income $117,151
Compare with Huntley →Moving to Pingree Grove →
5 mi away · pop. 10,914
Rent $3,500+/mo · Income $114,294
Compare with Huntley →Moving to Crystal Lake →
7 mi away · pop. 40,579
Rent $1,468/mo · Income $108,418
Compare with Huntley →Not sure Huntley is the one?
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