What it's like to live in Round Lake Beach
Round Lake Beach is a small city in Illinois with home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, 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. Round Lake Beach deals with unemployment above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, college degree attainment below the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Above-average commute times
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 43" per year
How Round Lake Beach compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Round Lake Beach
Based on Round Lake Beach's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,086
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $61,720 a year
- 55% of Round Lake Beach renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$39,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $19,920
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,543/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,543 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $199,200. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $199,200 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 56% above US
6.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 6.7%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
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 772/100k · Round Lake Beach Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 17% above US
30 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.4 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. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 55% below US
16% 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
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. 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 (53 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Round Lake Beach's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,543/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
See all the data for Round Lake Beach →·All Illinois cities →
Other places near Round Lake Beach
All Illinois guides →Moving to Round Lake →
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