Moving to
Palatine.

All Palatine data Compare Palatine

66,293people live here $97,819median household income▲ 21% above US $1,549median rent per monthNear US average $355,600median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Palatine

Palatine is a smaller city in Illinois with household incomes running above the national average, 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. Palatine deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Highly educated workforce
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Air quality concerns
High rent burden for renters
Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 39" per year

How Palatine compares

Median household income

Palatine$97,819

Illinois avg$83,390

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Palatine$1,549

Illinois avg$1,274

US$1,413

Median home value

Palatine$355,600

Illinois avg$263,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Palatine

Based on Palatine's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,098

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,960 a year
52% of Palatine renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$71,120

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $35,560
Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,549/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,549 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $355,600. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $355,600 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job marketNear US average

3.9% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 74% below US

85 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 704/100k · Palatine Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

69%

Work from home

21%

Carpool

5.4%

Public transit

2.3%

Other

1.3%

Walk

1.0%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 17°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 42% above US

51% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

16 public schools inside the boundary

There are 16 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 (37 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Palatine's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,549/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

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