What it's like to live in Niles
Niles 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. Niles deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 38" per year
How Niles compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Niles
Based on Niles's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,672
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $53,440 a year
- 45% of Niles renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$71,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $35,870
- Homes cost 4.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,336/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,336 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $358,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $358,700 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 89% below US
37 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 1905/100k · Niles Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.3 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; 11% 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
Education & workforceNear US average
39% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 6 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 (25 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Niles'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 air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,336/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime.
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