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City

Elgin

#72 in Best Cities to Raise a Family in America
  • B+
    Overall Grade
  • City in Illinois
  • 277 reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    B+
  2. Crime & Safety
    B-
  3. Housing
    B-
  4. Nightlife
    B
  5. Good for Families
    B+
  6. Diversity
    A+
  7. Jobs
    B-
  8. Weather
    C+
  9. Cost of Living
    B-
  10. Health & Fitness
    B
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    B+
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Elgin is a city in Illinois with a population of 112,628. Elgin is in Kane County. Living in Elgin offers residents a suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Elgin there are a lot of parks. Many families and young professionals live in Elgin and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Elgin are above average.
About Elgin...
Population
112,628

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$171,200
National
$184,700
Median Rent
$1,027
National
$949
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    33%
  • Own
    67%
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Elgin Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Elgin Neighborhood Map

  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B-
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    114
    283
  • Murder
    2
    6
  • Rape
    34
    41
  • Robbery
    50
    136
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    173
    500
  • Theft
    1,162
    2,043
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    66
    284
Home Security Options for Elgin
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  • 24/7 Whole home protection with no contract
  • CNET Editor’s choice winner 2018

Residents

Diversity
A+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Age
  • <10 years
    15%
  • 10-17 years
    12%
  • 18-24 years
    10%
  • 25-34 years
    14%
  • 35-44 years
    14%
  • 45-54 years
    13%
  • 55-64 years
    10%
  • 65+ years
    11%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    8%
    12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    16%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    29%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    25%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    21%
    13%

Working in Elgin

Jobs
B-
Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
Median Household Income
$63,655
National
$55,322
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Elgin Reviews

277 reviews
All Categories
My experiences living in Elgin, Illinois have been nothing but pleasant. I attended Elgin High School, and graduated a semester early. The Elgin Police Department does a phenomenal job at keeping the city safe. The nightlife of Elgin varies on people's areas of interest. I like how the Real Estate Market has been improving. I like how Elgin contains grocery stores that provide organic goods to sustain healthy living such as The Fresh Market. Commute time is great! Elgin has three train stations off of the Metra Milwaukee District West Line, and the train connects to other west suburbs of Chicago, as well as downtown Chicago. Cost of living in Elgin is pretty fair, however, rent in the downtown area is a little on the steep side. Job opportunities within the city include retail, accounting, civil engineering, parks and recreation, nursing, and teaching to name a few. Last but not least, my favorite thing about the city of Elgin is its diversity, as well how family friendly it is.
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Downtown Elgin is great! Local parks, a river walk, an outdoor ice rink, nice restaurants, a vintage record shop, a couple of awesome antique stores and so much more. The Recreational Center is very modern and up-to-date. The Recreational Center includes a pool with huge slides and a mini water park that is great for families, diving boards, a lap pool, a rock climbing wall etc. The town has many beautiful Victorian-style homes that have been around since the 1800's! This town has both a historic and a modern feel.
Elgin is very much an urban town with-in the suburbs. Its down-town area holds a city vibe, and is culturally diverse. The outer skirt of Elgin is more suburban compared to its down-town area. Elgin Community College (ECC) plays a meaningful roll in the growth of the residents living in, and surrounding areas. There are many other resources: food pantry, homeless shelter, DMV, DHS. Transportation is also easily available: taxi, Metra, PACE. Elgin, is a nice place to grow, and learn from. Not to mention, Fox River and it's walking/running/biking/hiking trails run straight through the city making it a fun and scenic town to live in!