What it's like to live in Park Ridge
Park Ridge is a small city in Illinois with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Park Ridge deals with home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and cold winters.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 38" per year
How Park Ridge compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Park Ridge
Based on Park Ridge's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,074
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,480 a year
- 38% of Park Ridge renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$110,240
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $55,120
- Homes cost 3.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,537/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,537 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $551,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $551,200 · 38% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 14% below US
3.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 91% below US
29 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 684/100k · Park Ridge Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% take public transit; 24% 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 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 84% above US
66% 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
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 3 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 (25 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Park Ridge's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,537/mo) equals 13% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (24% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals.
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