Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Des Plaines grades A− overall, ranked 197th of 767 in Illinois. It is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $98K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $356K for a typical one and 3.9 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Des Plaines is home to Oakton College. Des Plaines’ median rent is $1,606 a month, against $1,128 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Des Plaines has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground.
Where Des Plaines beats most towns.
Census counts: 818 in 1880, 60,675 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1921 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Des Plaines is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Des Plaines. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
2 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
Big draw24 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaRate FieldWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Des Plaines, 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 Des Plaines.
Des Plaines is safe by national standards but not by Illinois’s; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
27% of adults have obesity in Des Plaines. Des Plaines beats the Illinois average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Des Plaines.
| Des Plaines | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Des Plaines | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.9% | 7.8% |
| Fewer adults with obesity | 26.8% | 34% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7.4 miles of trail in 49 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Big Bend Lake Preserve, at 161 acres.
| Des Plaines | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Friendship Park | 0.9 mi | 28 |
| 2. Big Bend Lake Preserve | 0.8 mi | 161 |
| 3. Prairie Lakes Park | 0.8 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Des Plaines has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 7% in the year to September 2026. 39% of Des Plaines renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Des Plaines | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 39% | 46% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Des Plaines for work: only 9% work in town. Des Plaines’ average trip to work is 28 minutes. The top destinations are Chicago (25%), Elk Grove Village (4%) and Schaumburg (3%).
| Des Plaines | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 53% of Illinois’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 574 to 515 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1,221 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 238 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,221 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Des Plaines.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Illinois average. Des Plaines has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 58,772 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Des Plaines | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.8, men 41.1.
| Des Plaines | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.7% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.2% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
21 within 15 miles of the center of Des Plaines
About 5 of every 100 Des Plaines residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
2 places in Des Plaines on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Des Plaines.
City in Illinois, United States
Des Plaines ( dis PLAYNZ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the Des Plaines River, which runs through the city just east of its downtown area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Des Plaines.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Plaines | #197 | A− | C− | B | A− | A |
| Mount Prospect | #231 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Maine Township | #176 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
| Chicago | #676 | C− | C− | D | C | B+ |
| Rosemont | #471 | B− | C | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Elk Grove Township | #294 | B+ | D | — | B | A |
| Park Ridge | #30 | A+ | C− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Glenview | #192 | A− | D− | B− | A | A+ |
Maine Township and Elk Grove Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Des Plaines with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Des Plaines grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #197 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Fin Argus and Angela Dugalić.
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