Top Towns to Raise a Family in Illinois

When settling down to start a family, Illinoisans might want to turn to the many beautiful towns our state has to offer. Niche recently assessed 4,264 towns based on which are the best for raising families when judged on nine main factors:

1. Crime & Safety: Niche’s Crime & Safety Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture a location’s general safety.
2. Education: Niche’s Education Grade, which incorporates the average Niche K-12 overall grade for every public school serving the area, where each school is weighted by the number of students it serves.
3. Access to Libraries: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of libraries.
4. Community: Niche’s Community Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture an area’s involvement and investment in the community.
5. Housing: Niche’s Housing Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture how good an area is to purchase a home.
6. Residents 35-44 Years Old: Percentage of residents between the ages of 35 and 44.
7. Residents 9 Years Old and Under: Percentage of residents between the ages of 0 and 9.
8. Access to Day Cares: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of day care services.
9. Access to Grocery Stores: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of grocery stores.

Note that the qualifying “towns” analyzed include suburbs and cities with populations under 100,000.

Here are the best cities to raise a family in Illinois, according to Niche.

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