What it's like to live in Melrose Park
Melrose Park 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. Melrose Park deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 38" per year
How Melrose Park compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Melrose Park
Based on Melrose Park's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,352
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,040 a year
- 41% of Melrose Park renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$55,160
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $27,580
- 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▼ 17% below US
$1,176/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,176 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $275,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $275,800 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 12% above US
4.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 27% below US
239 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1356/100k · Melrose Park Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% 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 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 58% below US
15% 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
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. 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 (20 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Melrose Park'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 air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,176/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 and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Melrose Park
All Illinois guides →Moving to Bellwood →
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Rent $1,293/mo · Income $79,513
Compare with Melrose Park →Moving to Maywood →
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Compare with Melrose Park →Moving to River Grove →
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Compare with Melrose Park →Moving to Northlake →
2 mi away · pop. 12,513
Rent $1,123/mo · Income $83,892
Compare with Melrose Park →Not sure Melrose Park is the one?
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