Naperville was named the third-best place to live in Illinois in a recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
How the rankings for best place to live were determined
The list was compiled using data from Applied Geographic Solutions along with internal resources from U.S. News.
Five different indexes determined rankings, each with different weightings:
- Quality of life (26%) – looking at education, health care, air quality, environmental risk, state economy and infrastructure.
- Value (25%) – looking at housing affordability and cost of living.
- Desirability (24%) – looking at crime rates, weather temperateness, culture/leisure, and commuter data.
- Job market (23%) – looking at unemployment rate and median household income.
- Net migration (2%) – looking at inflow and outflow of residents.
How Naperville measured up
Data showed the median household income in Naperville to be $147,382.
The unemployment rate landed at 5.15%, and average commute time was 25.76 minutes, about 4 minutes more than the national average.
Naperville’s average home value is $473,285, nearly $100,000 above the national average, but the report noted, “Naperville offers a higher value of living compared to similarly sized cities.”
Which city earned the top spot?
Coming in at the top of the list for best place to live in Illinois was Arlington Heights, which earned a 6.4 overall score. At No. 2 was Buffalo Grove, also earning a 6.4. Naperville at No. 3 wasn’t far behind, with a 6.3.
In the Best Places to Live in the U.S. rankings, Naperville was within the top 100, landing at No. 76.
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