Channel Lake, IL, 2010
Channel Lake’s story
Channel Lake in pictures
Census counts: 1,785 in 2000, 1,581 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1920 on.
Explore the history →
Channel LakeIL
2,052 residents make their home in this town in Illinois.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: SkibumPMC · Public domain
Population
2,052
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$223K
Census ACS
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
39.4
years
Jobs based here
65
A commuter town
Is Channel Lake a good place to live?
The best of Channel Lake’s subject grades is an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Channel Lake, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 92 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. 12% of the land in Channel Lake is conserved, above both the Illinois town median (3.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Turtle Wetlands, at 111 acres. Channel Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Channel Lake for work
Where Channel Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
65jobs based in Channel Lake
1%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Channel Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Channel Lake is from typical.
Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.1 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income65 jobs based hereC+Open →HealthAurora Medical Center Kenosha 8.7 miles awayBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $223K, 2.5 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household incomeC+Open →SchoolsBeat 60% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Channel Lake: who provides what
Channel Lake is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAntioch water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLake CountyLake County provides services here
SchoolsAntioch Community Consolidated School District 34Antioch Community High School District 1172 districts serve Channel Lake; 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 hereLake County ClerkLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2024
ZIP code6000260002 100%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 Channel Lake.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Top of a high hazard risk in Channel Lake: inland flooding
Channel Lake’s FEMA hazard score is 79 of 100. 78% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 10%.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Most of Channel Lake’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
For working residents in Channel Lake, the share who work locally is 1.5%. The top destinations are Chicago (10%), Antioch (7%) and Waukegan (5%). The typical household income for Channel Lake comes to $68,000. Half the trips to work are shorter than 19 miles.
1%work in town
| Channel Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Channel Lake1%
Chicago10%
Antioch7%
Waukegan5%
Gurnee3%
19 mi
median commute distance
65
jobs based in Channel Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Channel Lake’s year
For Channel Lake, the typical July afternoon high is 83°F.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–33°
Spring36–57°
Summer60–81°
Fall41–61°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
On CDC estimates, Channel Lake is healthier than 64% of U.S. towns
Among adults in Channel Lake, 77% had a checkup this year. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Channel Lake is ahead of Illinois on 5 and behind on 6. In Channel Lake, 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 21% get no exercise outside work.
64%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Channel Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better21 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Channel Lake | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.9% | 15.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.5% | 10.3% |
Aurora Medical Center Kenosha
8.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA−
Protected land: 11.5% of Channel Lake
Trails total 0.3 miles in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Channel Lake is 0.1 miles per square mile.
11.5%conserved
11.5%
conserved · 175 of 1,525 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Turtle Wetlands | — | 111 |
| 2. Channel Lake-Lake Marie Channel Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Channel Lake North Beach Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C+
The median home in Channel Lake sells for about $237K
In Channel Lake, just over four in five households live in a home they own. Channel Lake’s midpoint rent stands at $1,584 a month. On the market locally: a median 50 days to sell.
$237Kmedian sale price
| Channel Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,584 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
Market temperature
50
days on market
100.9%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 185 attractions →Six Flags Great America and 36 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Channel Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
36 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
33 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
26 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
23 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre11 mi MuseumVolo Auto MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Channel Lake
17pages on Channel Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Channel Lake
About 2 of every 100 Channel Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Channel Lake
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Channel Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Antioch Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,581.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 751 ft
- Area code
- 847
Channel Lake’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Channel Lake.
Lake CatherineChannel Lake
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Lake | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Lake Catherine | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Channel Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Channel Lake reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lake Catherine isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Channel Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Channel Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Channel Lake, IL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $223,000, 25% below the Illinois typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.