Illinois - Joliet, 1932
Crest Hill’s story
66 years in pictures
Census counts: 5,887 in 1960, 20,459 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1932 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
- 1960Crest Hill is settled
Photo: Cresthilladmin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
20,695
2025 Census estimate · +1.2% since 2020
Typical home
$286K
+0.5% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
39.1
years
Jobs based here
6,302
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#424 of 767 in IL
Is Crest Hill a good place to live?
Crest Hill is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B overall, 424th of 767 graded towns in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 66% of the state's. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $286K for a typical one and 3.1 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Only 22 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on hazard risk. Crest Hill's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. On history, just 74 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse.
What makes Crest Hill stand out
Where Crest Hill beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Crest Hill for work
Where Crest Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
6,302jobs based in Crest Hill
3%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Crest Hill grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Crest Hill is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.7 of 20; 6.4% of households have no carB+Open →Cost of livingCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →SafetyBOpen →Jobs & income$73K median household income; 6,302 jobs based hereB−Open →HealthSaint Joseph Medical Center 3.5 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trails; 8% conserved landA−Open →History1 notable person born hereDOpen →Civic life1.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market$286K typical home, up 0.5% in a year; 56 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.1; 24% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 166 attractions →Soldier Field and 147 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crest Hill. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw31 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw33 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Crest Hill: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crest Hill, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCrest Hill water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBy addressTown’s hauler · day by addressTown site
SchoolsLockport Township High School District 205Richland School District 88AChaney-Monge School District 883 districts serve Crest Hill; 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 hereWill County ClerkWill County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes60403, 6044160403 86% · 60441 14%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 Crest Hill.
Crest Hill carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and is safe by national standards but not by Illinois’s.
OutdoorsA−
Crest Hill has set aside 8.3% of its land for conservation
That puts Crest Hill above both Illinois’ towns (3.6%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 5.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Brent Hassert Park, at 47 acres.
#231for trails in IL
| Crest Hill | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
8.3%
conserved · 482 of 5,800 acres
5.3 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brent Hassert Park | 0.7 mi | 47 |
| 2. Crest Hill Community Park | 0.5 mi | 13 |
| 3. Richland Center Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
In Crest Hill, the FEMA risk score runs lower than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $237 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
At 11 of 100, Crest Hill’s FEMA risk score is below both the Illinois town median (50 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1982, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Crest Hill.
11risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 1982
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most of Crest Hill’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Crest Hill for work: only 3% work in town. 6.2% of Crest Hill workers work from home. The top destinations are Chicago (17%), Joliet (12%) and Bolingbrook (5%).
3%work in town
| Crest Hill | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.2% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Crest Hill3%
Chicago17%
Joliet12%
Bolingbrook5%
Romeoville4%
19 mi
median commute distance
6,302
jobs based in Crest Hill
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Crest Hill, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Crest Hill has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
33″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–35°
Spring39–60°
Summer62–83°
Fall43–63°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
SafetyB
Crest Hill reports less crime per resident than 59% of U.S. towns
At 15.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 55% of Illinois’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 218 to 163 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
59%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Crest Hill1.4
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Crest Hill6.7
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
59th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
45th
percentile among IL towns
28
violent crimes reported in 2025
135
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade C
For cost of living, Crest Hill earns a C
Crest Hill’s median rent is $1,481 a month.
$286KZillow home value
| Crest Hill | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,481 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Crest Hill$286K
Illinois$296K
Market temperature
56
days on market
101.1%
sale-to-list price
+0.5%
value change, 1 year
24
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Crest Hill is less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
Crest Hill beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 18% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Crest Hill.
48%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Crest Hill | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better28 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Crest Hill | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.6% | 9.9% |
| More adults with obesity | 40.7% | 34% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 27.5% | 23% |
Saint Joseph Medical Center
3.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
35th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Crest Hill
20pages on Crest Hill
The big questions
SchoolsB+Beat 66% of IL districtsSafetyB1.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthB−Better than IL on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC$286K typical home · up 0.5% in a yearWork & commuteB−$73K median household income · 6,302 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 11% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Crest Hill
Lewis UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Romeoville2.8 mi$39,200 tuitionUniversity of St FrancisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Joliet3.2 mi$38,110 tuitionJoliet Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Joliet6.2 mi$4,530 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Crest Hill residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Crest Hill
City in the United States
Crest Hill is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,459 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1960
- Area
- 9.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 640 ft
- ZIP code
- 60403
- Area code
- 815
Crest Hill’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Crest Hill.
JolietSunnylandCrystal LawnsRomeovilleCrest Hill
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crest Hill | #424 | B | C | B | B+ | B− |
| Joliet | #667 | C− | C+ | C | C− | C+ |
| Sunnyland | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Crystal Lawns | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Romeoville | #379 | B | C− | B | B | B |
Sunnyland and Crystal Lawns have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sunnyland and Crystal Lawns report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Crest Hill with a neighbor →
Questions about Crest Hill
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Crest Hill, IL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Crest Hill grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #424 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health, B for safety and B+ for schools.
Is Crest Hill, 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.