Living in Oak Park, IL
Suburb in Illinois
Oak Park is a suburb in Illinois, home to about 53,000 people, with 7.3 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Oak Park a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 26 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Highly educated: 73% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 6 research universities are within 31 mi
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
- Big job market: about 7.3 million people live within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Few dog parks: 62 within 9 mi
- Higher taxes: about $2,002 state income tax per resident, 2.19% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Oak Park ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Oak Park: common questions
What is the cost of living in Oak Park?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $523k, 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 Oak Park?
Illinois collects about $2,002 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.19% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Oak Park safe?
Violent crime is close to the national rate (0.8× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Oak Park?
Oak Park has cold winters: winter days average around 36°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 42″ of snow a year.
Does Oak Park 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 1.61 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Oak Park?
The nearest major airport is MDW, about 7 mi away.
How Oak Park scores
Each bar compares Oak Park with the other 1143 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).
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Nearby
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Is Oak Park right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.