Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,131, settled in 1980.
The best of Bull Valley’s subject grades are an A+ for safety, an A for incomes, and an A− for health; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. Bull Valley’s median rent is $3,501 a month, above both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 2 of Illinois’ 405 towns score higher on safety. Bull Valley's public schools beat 69% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. George Stickney House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bull Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bull Valley beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Bull Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 509 in 1980, 1,128 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1926 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bull Valley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bull Valley.
97% of households own their home in Bull Valley, where Illinois’ towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%. Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bull Valley’s property crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents. Bull Valley reports less crime per resident than 100% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Bull Valley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Bull Valley beats the Illinois average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 28% of Bull Valley adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Bull Valley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bull Valley | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Bull Valley for work: only 0% work in town. The median household income in Bull Valley is $191,000. Jobs based in Bull Valley fell to 135 in 2023, 82 fewer than in 2013.
| Bull Valley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $191,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bull Valley has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 14° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Boloria Meadows, at 36 acres.
| Bull Valley | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wolf Oak Woods Preserve | 0.9 mi | 30 |
| 2. Boloria Meadows | 0.6 mi | 36 |
| 3. Boger Bog Conservation Area | 0.3 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bull Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
11 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
31 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
29 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
38 mi MuseumMorton ArboretumSix Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bull Valley
About 5 of every 100 Bull Valley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Bull Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Illinois, United States
Bull Valley is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,128 at the 2020 census. Surrounded by the larger exurb towns of Crystal Lake, Woodstock, and McHenry, the village prides itself in its rural, low-density character. The village is in the outermost ring of the Chicago suburbs.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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