What it's like to live in Maywood
Maywood is a small city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, 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. Maywood deals with unemployment above the national average, crime rates above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Crime above national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold winters
How Maywood compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Maywood
Based on Maywood's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,418
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,360 a year
- 50% of Maywood renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$45,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,980
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 14% below US
$1,209/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,209 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $229,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $229,800 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 81% above US
7.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 7.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 136% above US
941 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 2026/100k · Maywood Police Department · 2020 data
Getting around▲ 32% above US
34 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 34.4 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; 13% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 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
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 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 Pullman National Historical Park (18 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Maywood'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 crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,209/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and people who dread long commutes.
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