What it's like to live in Waukegan
Waukegan is a smaller 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. Waukegan deals with unemployment above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, hospital ratings below the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Low college degree attainment
- Below-average hospital ratings
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 43" per year
How Waukegan compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Waukegan
Based on Waukegan's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,410
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,200 a year
- 46% of Waukegan renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$38,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $19,090
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 15% below US
$1,205/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,205 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $190,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $190,900 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 35% above US
5.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 14% above US
375 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1555/100k · Waukegan Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.1 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; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 42% below US
21% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 21%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
23 public schools inside the boundary
There are 23 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 (49 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Waukegan's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,205/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
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