Northfield Square Interior 1, 2010
Bradley’s story
135 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,518 in 1900, 15,419 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1922 on.
- 1891Bradley is settled
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Population
15,214
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Typical home
$190K
+5% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
34.7
years
Jobs based here
7,432
Balanced
TownGrade
C−
#633 of 767 in IL
Is Bradley a good place to live?
Bradley is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 633rd of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $67K. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 76% of U.S. towns, with 45 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $190K, 2.7 years of the Kankakee metro’s $71K median household income. Bradley’s property crime rate is 20.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the Illinois town median (7.9) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Bradley is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Perry Farm Park, at 168 acres.
What makes Bradley stand out
Where Bradley beats most towns.
How Bradley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Bradley is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 6.5% of households have no carA−Open →SafetyC−Open →Jobs & income7,432 jobs based hereB+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →HealthPresence St. Marys Hospital 3.2 miles awayC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →SchoolsBehind 59% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 4% conserved landBOpen →HistoryCOpen →Civic life4.1 library visits per resident; 1.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market69 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.7; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bradley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bradley, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAqua Illinois-Kankakee1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
SchoolsBradley-Bourbonnais Consolidated High School District 307Bradley School District 61St. George Community Consolidated School District 2583 districts serve Bradley; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKankakee County ClerkKankakee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP codes60915, 60914, 6090160915 65% · 60914 32% · 60901 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bradley.
HousingCost of living grade C+
For cost of living, Bradley earns a C+
Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026. 64% of households own their home in Bradley.
$190KZillow home value
| Bradley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,186 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Bradley$190K
Illinois$296K
Market temperature
69
days on market
98.9%
sale-to-list price
+5%
value change, 1 year
16
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SafetyC−
For safety, Bradley earns a C−
Bradley’s violent crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Bradley reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less.
24%of U.S. towns report more crimeC−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Bradley2.9
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Bradley20.9
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
24th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
16th
percentile among IL towns
45
violent crimes reported in 2025
320
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Bradley
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bradley.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 1996
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Bradley has four seasons and pleasant summers
Bradley has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring39–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Bradley is less healthy than 65% of U.S. towns
Bradley beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 41% of Bradley adults sleep under 7 hours.
35%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Bradley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better23 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Bradley | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.1% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 16.1% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.3% |
Presence St. Marys Hospital
3.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
21st
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
About one in seven working residents works right in Bradley
Bradley has about as many jobs (7,432) as working residents, but only 1,008 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Bradley for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Kankakee (17%), Bourbonnais (9%) and Chicago (8%). The average trip to work in Bradley is 24 minutes.
14%work in town
| Bradley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.6% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Bradley14%
Kankakee17%
Bourbonnais9%
Chicago8%
Joliet3%
14 mi
median commute distance
7,432
jobs based in Bradley
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB
Bradley has set aside 4.4% of its land for conservation
1.1 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
#482for trails in IL
| Bradley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
4.4%
conserved · 204 of 4,624 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Perry Farm Park | 0.6 mi | 168 |
| 2. Lils Park | 0.4 mi | 15 |
| 3. Helgeson Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bradley
19pages on Bradley
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 59% of IL districtsSafetyC−2.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC+Better than IL on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$190K typical home · up 5% in a yearWork & commuteB+$67K median household income · 7,432 jobs hereNatural hazardsC+FEMA risk higher than 70% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bradley
Olivet Nazarene UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Bourbonnais1.6 mi$38,900 tuitionKankakee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kankakee4.5 mi$5,220 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Bradley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Bradley
Village in Illinois, United States
Bradley (formerly North Kankakee) is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of the city of Kankakee. The population was 15,419 at the 2020 census. Bradley is a principal city of the Kankakee–Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Kankakee County. The county is also part of the larger Chicago–Naperville–Michigan City, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area. Bradley is home to the Northfield Square Mall.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1891
- Area
- 6.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 673 ft
- ZIP code
- 60915
Bradley’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Bradley.
BourbonnaisKankakeeKankakee TownshipBradley
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | #633 | C− | C+ | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Bourbonnais | #474 | B− | C− | B | B | B |
| Kankakee · Kankakee Township | #765 | D− | B− | — | D | D |
Kankakee reports no FBI crime data of its own. Kankakee Township and Kankakee are one community, graded once. Compare Bradley with a neighbor →
Questions about Bradley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bradley, IL a good place to live?
Bradley grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #633 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Bradley, IL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.