Living in Chicago Heights, IL
Suburb in Illinois
Chicago Heights is a suburb in Illinois, home to about 27,000 people, with 5.4 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Chicago Heights a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 15 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: MDW is 20 mi away
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $181k and rents for $2,290 a month
👎 Cons
- Weaker public schools: test results well below the US average
- Higher taxes: about $2,002 state income tax per resident, 2.75% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer graduates: 20% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Chicago Heights ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Chicago Heights: common questions
What is the cost of living in Chicago Heights?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $181k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,290 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Chicago Heights?
Illinois collects about $2,002 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.75% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Chicago Heights safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.0× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Chicago Heights?
Public schools in Chicago Heights test well below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Chicago Heights?
Chicago Heights has cold winters: winter days average around 34°F and summer days around 82°F, with roughly 28″ of snow a year.
Does Chicago Heights get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 8 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.72 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Chicago Heights?
The nearest major airport is MDW, about 20 mi away.
How Chicago Heights scores
Each bar compares Chicago Heights with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Chicago Heights
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Illinois.
Is Chicago Heights right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.