DeKalb County, Illinois
Population 100,703 · DeKalb, Sycamore, Sandwich
- Overall cost of living: +3.6% vs the US average, higher than 95% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 9.9 µg/m³, higher than 96% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+3.6% | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $243,600 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,049 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $118/mo | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $12,263/yr | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 2.45% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.95% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $5,974 | higher than 97% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $70,724 | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -4.2% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 289.3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈196 days | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 13°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 33 in | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 13 days | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 141 days | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 6.3% of weeks | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.5°F | lower than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 37.2 in | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $97/yr | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $81/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $3.4/yr | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $11/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.9 µg/m³ | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 52 mi | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈278.3 ft | lower than 73% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.2% | higher than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 33% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 13.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.9:1 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 84.2% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.04 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.93 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 27/100k | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 8 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4.2★ | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.8 yrs | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.8% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 462/100k | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 71/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 78.7% | higher than 74% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 49 min | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 49 min | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 27 min | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 92.7% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.8% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 80 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 49 per sq mi | higher than 78% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.8 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.9 per 1k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 100,703 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Median age | 32.7 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -1.7 per 1k/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 50.1% Dem | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 48.1% Rep | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.7% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % White | 71% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 14.5% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Black | 6.8% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % Asian | 2.2% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.8% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 146 parks | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 15.9 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.6 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 82 min | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.5% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 55 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 104 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 582 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 5 km | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 98 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 152 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 162 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 13 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 198 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 46 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data