What it's like to live in Justice
Justice is a small city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, 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. Justice deals with household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
How Justice compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Justice
Based on Justice's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,494
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,880 a year
- 50% of Justice renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,840
- Homes cost 4.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 12% below US
$1,247/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,247 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $238,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $238,400 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Cook County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Cook County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 90% below US
33 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 221/100k · Justice Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 21% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% take public transit; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 42% below US
21% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 21%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, 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 (12 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Justice'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 commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,247/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Justice
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