What it's like to live in Joliet
Joliet is a mid-size city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Joliet deals with unemployment above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Joliet compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Joliet
Based on Joliet's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,552
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,040 a year
- 49% of Joliet renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$53,160
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $26,580
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,276/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,276 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $265,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $265,800 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 26% above US
5.4% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
344 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1156/100k · Joliet Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 11% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.8 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; 9% 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 20°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 29% below US
26% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
46 public schools inside the boundary
There are 46 public schools inside the boundary and 9 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to 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 (30 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Joliet's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,276/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Joliet
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