New Report Says These Are Illinois’ 10 Best Places To Live

An annual study by US News & World Report that takes a look at 250 cities across the nation and rates them in various categories has just been released, and some Illinois cities came out looking really good this year.

Normally, the annual study covers 150 cities, but this time, US News & World Report expanded their numbers to 250 cities, and they expanded their data to evaluate more than 850 cities to publish the 250 best places. Here's some of the criteria used to make their determinations :

• Value
• Desirability
• Job markets
• Quality of life

They also looked at the numbers from several federal agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Before We Get Into The 10 Best Places To Live In Illinois, Let's Look At The Cities That Make Up The Top Ten Best Places To Live In The Entire Nation

You may or may not be surprised to learn that 4 cities in the top ten list of the best places to live in the entire country are in the Midwest. I'd love to tell you that some of Illinois' cities landed in the top ten, but they didn't.

US News & World Report's top ten best places to live in the US:

1. Johns Creek, Georgia
2. Carmel, Indiana
3. Pearland, Texas
4. Fishers, Indiana
5. Cary, North Carolina
6. League City, Texas
7. Apex, North Carolina
8. Leander, Texas
9. Rochester Hills, Michigan
10. Troy, Michigan

By the way, if you'd like to uproot yourself right now and move to the number-one ranked city, Johns Creek, Georgia, here's what the study says about that city:

The median household income in Johns Creek is $163,653, and the average commute time is about 25.99 minutes. The unemployment rate here is 2.84%.

If you want to buy a house in Johns Creek, the median home value is $528,234.

And if you're a renter, you can expect the median rent here to be $1,672.

Now, Let's Take A Look At The 10 Illinois Cities That Made The List Of The Best Places To Live In The United States

The first and highest ranked Illinois city on the list is Arlington Heights, which comes in at number 56 overall in the nation, and highest ranked city in Illinois:

The median household income in Arlington Heights is $114,653, and the average commute time is about 23.96 minutes. The unemployment rate here is 3.13%.

If you want to buy a house in Arlington Heights, the median home value is $382,333.

And if you're a renter, you can expect the median rent here to be $1,392.

Buffalo Grove comes in next, at number 63 overall:

If you want to buy a house in Buffalo Grove, the median home value is $385,003.

And if you're a renter, you can expect the median rent here to be $1,611.

Rounding out Illinois' top ten, you've got:

• Naperville at 76
• Palatine at 80
• Elgin at 122
• Schaumburg at 141
• Bloomington at 168
• Bolingbrook at 210
• Skokie at 230
• Des Plaines at 240

You can read US News & World Report's full study here.