State rankings

Best Counties to Live in Illinois

Compare counties in Illinois by overall score, affordability, economy, schools, safety, taxes, and peace & quiet. Rankings are public-data estimates for comparison and research.

#1 in IL

Monroe County

77.2

Overall score

Open county report

#2 in IL

Clinton County

75.9

Overall score

Open county report

#3 in IL

Effingham County

73.6

Overall score

Open county report

#4 in IL

Woodford County

73.4

Overall score

Open county report

#5 in IL

Piatt County

72.8

Overall score

Open county report

Category highlights

Quick entry points for common county search priorities.

National rankings

Best overall

Monroe County

Overall score 77.2

Most affordable

Crawford County

Affordability 96.1

Best schools

Monroe County

Schools 98

Safest

Wabash County

Safety 99.9

Lowest taxes

Hardin County

Taxes 47

Best peace & quiet

Edgar County

Peace & Quiet 94.9

All Illinois counties

Showing 102 counties ranked by the default generated overall score.

Rank	County	Overall	Economy	Afford.	Schools	Safety	Taxes	Peace & Quiet	Typical home	Income
1	Monroe County FIPS 17133	77.2	80.9	69.8	98	96	13.2	83.3	$325,385	$102,880
2	Clinton County FIPS 17027	75.9	72.1	80.6	91.9	95.6	7.8	85.3	$217,319	$86,588
3	Effingham County FIPS 17049	73.6	68.7	79.1	80.2	92.6	22.3	90.7	$211,543	$80,404
4	Woodford County FIPS 17203	73.4	71.8	83.1	95.7	71.8	4.7	86.8	$221,363	$91,483
5	Piatt County FIPS 17147	72.8	72	86.2	73.8	83.6	14.1	90.1	$215,218	$94,811
6	Shelby County FIPS 17173	72	58.6	86.2	68.6	97.3	28.9	91	$161,882	$72,095
7	Cumberland County FIPS 17035	70.8	70.5	88.1	45.1	97.5	30.9	88.7	$160,742	$73,327
8	Ford County FIPS 17053	69.4	55.5	83.6	79.6	89.9	7.3	90.2	$150,970	$62,439
9	Douglas County FIPS 17041	68	66.8	89	45.6	94.1	12.2	91.2	$154,287	$77,320
10	Massac County FIPS 17127	67.9	45.6	89.2	76.8	84.8	19	85.2	$112,646	$65,116
11	McHenry County FIPS 17111	67.7	66.4	65.6	88	96.4	0	51.8	$357,917	$104,802
12	Edgar County FIPS 17045	67.6	48.4	94.8	51.8	94.9	24.3	94.9	$98,376	$59,941
13	Wayne County FIPS 17191	67.5	51.4	89	68.8	78.9	23.8	89.2	$121,052	$55,521
14	Kendall County FIPS 17093	66.9	69	63.8	84.2	93.6	0	56.1	$389,876	$111,601
15	McLean County FIPS 17113	66.8	58.2	67.3	82.6	97.2	0	86.7	$251,617	$79,905
16	Calhoun County FIPS 17013	66.7	61.2	82.5	74.4	-	23.8	70.4	$191,064	$93,203
17	Livingston County FIPS 17105	66.4	58.6	84.2	61.3	87	8.5	91.4	$163,480	$73,790
18	Hancock County FIPS 17067	65.9	57.5	91.1	47.2	91	13.2	87.4	$110,782	$65,865
19	Marshall County FIPS 17123	65.8	55.6	90.1	51.3	93.6	9	84.2	$134,025	$71,585
20	Washington County FIPS 17189	65.7	59.4	90.3	54.3	80.4	9.8	87.6	$157,367	$78,224
21	Macoupin County FIPS 17117	65.6	50.3	90.2	56.7	90	15.9	81.7	$134,474	$70,805
22	Jersey County FIPS 17083	65.5	59	79.7	68.9	79.6	11.3	80.1	$196,452	$80,361
23	DuPage County FIPS 17043	65.4	67.9	52.8	97.6	98.1	0	19.1	$432,425	$112,096
24	Jasper County FIPS 17079	65.4	62.1	86.2	73.6	50	18.1	86.2	$168,590	$74,755
25	Montgomery County FIPS 17135	65.4	63.6	90.2	43.2	82	14.8	89.6	$121,155	$63,620
26	Grundy County FIPS 17063	65.2	55.6	64.6	87.6	90.4	0	82.3	$315,211	$92,235
27	Jo Daviess County FIPS 17085	65.2	59	64.6	77.6	91.7	8.3	84.2	$247,009	$73,993
28	Whiteside County FIPS 17195	65.2	49.7	89.1	57.4	91.1	9	88.1	$138,238	$67,500
29	Ogle County FIPS 17141	65.1	53.2	76.4	68.4	95.7	3.9	85.7	$218,880	$82,132
30	Wabash County FIPS 17185	65.1	47.8	88.8	41.7	99.9	32.5	86.8	$119,814	$57,086
31	Brown County FIPS 17009	65	63.1	82.2	38.8	97.9	15.1	94.9	$152,417	$67,917
32	Clark County FIPS 17023	65	50.8	90.3	47.1	93.1	19.6	88	$139,900	$72,927
33	Hamilton County FIPS 17065	64.4	45.5	93.4	48.9	85.1	27.8	87.3	$110,772	$65,746
34	Mercer County FIPS 17131	64.4	49.8	87.3	59.9	86.6	8.9	86.2	$163,935	$74,182
35	Richland County FIPS 17159	64.2	59.3	85.1	42.8	82.8	26.4	90.3	$133,091	$62,455
36	Will County FIPS 17197	64.2	62.4	66.8	80.7	95.6	0	27.9	$366,080	$109,984
37	Crawford County FIPS 17033	63.9	54	96.1	27.8	94.1	21.1	92	$122,029	$71,674
38	Moultrie County FIPS 17139	63.9	53.2	80.7	49.2	91.2	23.3	92	$181,415	$71,784
39	Bond County FIPS 17005	63.8	47.7	81.9	59.8	95.2	7.2	88	$162,558	$65,959
40	Henry County FIPS 17073	63.4	47.2	85.4	52	98.1	7	89	$163,773	$71,911
41	Logan County FIPS 17107	63.2	43.5	86.8	54.4	93.9	10.5	92.3	$136,794	$66,358
42	Stark County FIPS 17175	63.2	45.4	89	55.4	77.1	25.8	88.1	$131,532	$62,878
43	Putnam County FIPS 17155	62.9	47.5	82.3	53.2	96.3	13.7	80.8	$179,202	$75,590
44	Lake County FIPS 17097	62.8	61.1	60.1	85.3	96.6	0	18.5	$384,534	$110,416
45	Scott County FIPS 17171	62.6	44	95	37.8	93.8	18.8	87.7	$89,289	$66,705
46	Williamson County FIPS 17199	62.3	49.5	84.6	53.3	89.1	7.6	80.4	$149,240	$65,604
47	Menard County FIPS 17129	62.2	63.2	82.6	36.4	87.9	8.8	88.4	$199,170	$82,176
48	Iroquois County FIPS 17075	61.8	46.7	86.9	65.4	66.6	9.4	88.5	$149,561	$66,255
49	Morgan County FIPS 17137	61.7	48.4	88.6	41.5	90	11.2	89.8	$128,347	$66,306
50	Mason County FIPS 17125	61.6	42	91.6	49.7	86.1	11.4	83.4	$92,676	$62,845
51	Carroll County FIPS 17015	61.4	43	77.3	58	93.6	15.1	83.7	$156,363	$60,758
52	McDonough County FIPS 17109	61.4	38.2	87.4	51.7	96.9	6.3	90.8	$92,986	$52,795
53	Madison County FIPS 17119	61.3	59.5	80	45	90.6	6	65.6	$193,117	$75,793
54	Greene County FIPS 17061	61.2	51.7	89.4	32.4	92.7	15.8	79.8	$101,093	$62,192
55	Lawrence County FIPS 17101	61	39.4	92.2	55	-	35.1	88.7	$95,312	$55,324
56	White County FIPS 17193	60.8	45.8	90.5	43.3	75.3	24.9	86.3	$104,282	$54,813
57	Perry County FIPS 17145	60.5	40.2	94.4	36.5	92.1	14.5	85.9	$104,883	$62,118
58	Randolph County FIPS 17157	60.4	49.7	84.1	23.9	98.2	30.1	87.7	$153,971	$68,131
59	Sangamon County FIPS 17167	60.3	56	77.6	50.9	82.5	4.4	78.9	$190,360	$75,357
60	Adams County FIPS 17001	60.1	56.4	77.6	34.1	91.4	14.8	92.3	$177,656	$66,220
61	Tazewell County FIPS 17179	59.3	56	83.1	72.2	37.3	5.1	80.3	$183,602	$77,982
62	Clay County FIPS 17025	58.9	36.1	91.3	29.6	91.5	30.8	86.7	$107,024	$60,417
63	Coles County FIPS 17029	58.5	49.1	76.8	39.1	94.1	6	89.9	$140,128	$56,478
64	Edwards County FIPS 17047	58.4	40.7	90.2	46.3	-	32.4	88.6	$115,421	$60,519
65	Schuyler County FIPS 17169	58.4	38.8	86.9	27.8	96.1	25.3	90	$145,816	$65,948
66	Christian County FIPS 17021	58.3	49.5	87.5	38	67.4	18.7	89.2	$128,570	$62,611
67	Cass County FIPS 17017	57.6	49.6	94.7	5	96.7	14.7	91.2	$96,603	$68,125
68	Knox County FIPS 17095	57.6	40.5	87.4	37.7	85.3	9.1	88.3	$111,709	$57,030
69	Lee County FIPS 17103	57.4	48.2	79.7	32.6	93.2	6.2	86.9	$174,240	$70,292
70	Pike County FIPS 17149	57.2	50.8	87.9	15.8	83.2	25.7	86.7	$113,376	$59,777
71	Kane County FIPS 17089	57.1	60.9	60	56.4	97.1	0	19.7	$373,804	$103,163
72	St. Clair County FIPS 17163	57.1	50.3	79.4	39	89.8	2.6	62.9	$175,665	$73,854
73	Fayette County FIPS 17051	56.3	40	89.2	19.4	88.7	24.9	87.4	$142,741	$60,944
74	Fulton County FIPS 17057	55.8	41.3	91.8	24	83.1	9.5	85.8	$95,759	$60,599
75	Johnson County FIPS 17087	55.6	37.9	73.4	47.4	70.9	37.4	77.7	$189,505	$62,528
76	Franklin County FIPS 17055	55.5	37.1	92.7	17	91.8	17.8	81.3	$89,412	$56,740
77	Bureau County FIPS 17011	55.2	36.4	88	28.2	86.3	10	90.6	$143,492	$69,257
78	Union County FIPS 17181	54.9	37.5	79.9	27.3	82.4	34	86.8	$150,462	$55,728
79	DeKalb County FIPS 17037	54.3	47.1	51.7	57.1	94.5	0	80	$289,255	$70,724
80	Saline County FIPS 17165	54.2	45.1	92.9	8.7	81.7	13.9	86.1	$84,756	$53,117
81	Champaign County FIPS 17019	54	48.8	56.9	46.9	93.9	0	81.4	$231,346	$63,683
82	Marion County FIPS 17121	54	41	90	21	71.7	18.3	88.6	$117,481	$61,240
83	Peoria County FIPS 17143	54	39.6	79.8	34.1	90.5	0	75	$156,125	$65,108
84	Henderson County FIPS 17071	53.8	42.8	89.9	28.8	-	26.3	83.9	$122,063	$62,227
85	Stephenson County FIPS 17177	53.8	46.8	80.7	26.6	79.9	2	88.6	$153,776	$64,043
86	Boone County FIPS 17007	53.5	43.8	69.5	38.3	90.9	0	78.1	$280,540	$84,571
87	De Witt County FIPS 17039	53.1	54.5	87.7	19.2	-	13.1	89	$148,664	$71,678
88	Macon County FIPS 17115	53.1	34.2	86.4	20.9	93.5	6.4	81.3	$123,099	$62,666
89	Jefferson County FIPS 17081	52.7	44.4	85.5	17.1	74.3	11.6	89.6	$134,910	$63,118
90	Gallatin County FIPS 17059	52.4	33	92.3	15	79.9	18.5	85.7	$79,256	$59,219
91	Rock Island County FIPS 17161	51.3	36.5	83.8	16.7	94.1	1.8	72	$151,236	$67,159
92	Kankakee County FIPS 17091	51.1	41.9	70	29.2	88.4	0	79.5	$217,322	$71,281
93	Vermilion County FIPS 17183	49.5	27	90.2	11.2	81.4	13.4	87.5	$95,715	$56,877
94	Pope County FIPS 17151	49.2	42.5	78.7	16.3	-	45.1	74.5	$150,792	$60,050
95	LaSalle County FIPS 17099	48.9	38.1	78.2	36.1	53.5	4.2	83.4	$188,570	$73,045
96	Warren County FIPS 17187	48.8	44.9	90.7	20.9	30.9	15	92.7	$112,082	$67,385
97	Jackson County FIPS 17077	48.3	34.1	72.8	21.1	86.9	1.3	84.2	$123,804	$48,763
98	Cook County FIPS 17031	47.7	46.4	50.8	39.1	99	0	14.9	$326,039	$83,498
99	Winnebago County FIPS 17201	47.4	37.2	68.7	22.9	90.8	0	54.1	$202,626	$65,837
100	Hardin County FIPS 17069	47.3	43.1	88.6	10.6	25	47	75.4	$98,799	$54,271
101	Alexander County FIPS 17003	45.6	23.2	87.7	3.5	78.3	18	73	$54,552	$47,043
102	Pulaski County FIPS 17153	37.5	11.6	85.2	2.3	-	34.9	75.1	$69,792	$42,463