Living in Oswego, IL
Suburb in Illinois
Oswego is a suburb in Illinois, home to about 35,000 people, with 3.1 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Oswego a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 14 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Safe: violent crime is 0.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Family-friendly: playgrounds, family attractions and plenty of households with kids
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $2,002 state income tax per resident, 2.55% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Oswego ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Oswego: common questions
What is the cost of living in Oswego?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $361k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,820 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Oswego?
Illinois collects about $2,002 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.55% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Oswego safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.2× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Oswego?
Public schools in Oswego test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 16 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Oswego?
Oswego has cold winters: winter days average around 34°F and summer days around 82°F, with roughly 28″ of snow a year.
Does Oswego get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 2 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.82 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Oswego?
The nearest major airport is ORD, about 30 mi away.
How Oswego scores
Each bar compares Oswego 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 Oswego
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 Oswego right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.