Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Frankfort is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 65th of 767 in Illinois. Its schools outperform 97% of the state's, the median household earns $154K, and residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $501K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Frankfort’s median rent is $2,442 a month, above both the Illinois town median ($1,128 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Frankfort is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Sauk Trail Reservoir, at 243 acres.
Where Frankfort beats most towns.
17,782 counted in 2010 and 20,296 in 2020; an estimated 21,365 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.2% since 2020, after 14.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Frankfort is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for schools (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 332 in 1880, a low of 250 in 1900, 20,296 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 4 maps from 1930 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Frankfort, 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 Frankfort.
Frankfort reports less crime than Mokena or any other graded neighbor, trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors and has less food insecurity than most of Illinois.
95% of Frankfort households own their home. The typical Frankfort home is worth about $501,000, up 3.6% in a year, 69% above the Illinois typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 7.6% of its 14,956 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide. Against the 2,491 U.S. towns with household incomes like Frankfort’s, it is less healthy than 54%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Frankfort. Frankfort beats the Illinois average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Frankfort.
| Frankfort | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Frankfort | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Mokena (A−) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Frankfort is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Frankfort | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Frankfort has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Frankfort has about as many jobs (8,602) as working residents, but only 707 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 35.2 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Frankfort for work: only 7% work in town. Frankfort’s average trip to work is 35 minutes. Since 2013, Frankfort has added 1,786 jobs, to 8,602 in 2023.
| Frankfort | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $154,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 24% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Frankfort | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heritage Knolls Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 2. Sauk Trail Reservoir | — | 243 |
| 3. Commissioners Park | — | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Frankfort.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Frankfort. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw24 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw29 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier 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
8 within 15 miles of the center of Frankfort
About 5 of every 100 Frankfort residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
11 notable people were born in Frankfort.
Village in Illinois, United States
Frankfort is a village in Will County and Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a suburb of Chicago, about 28 miles (45 km) southwest of the city. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,296. Frankfort's historic downtown area contains the Frankfort Grainery, Breidert Green, and part of the Old Plank Road Trail, a 22-mile-long paved recreation trail. The village also contains Commissioners Park and multiple schools, including Lincoln-Way East High School, Hickory Creek Middle School, and Dr. Julian Rogus School.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Frankfort.
At #65 in IL, it grades higher overall than all 7 graded towns on its borders; Mokena (A) comes closest. Richton Park next door grades lower for schools (C− to Frankfort’s A+) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | #65 | A | D | A− | A+ | A |
| Frankfort Square | #255 | A− | C | — | A | A− |
| Tinley Park | #210 | A− | C− | B | A− | A |
| Richton Park | #674 | C− | C | C | C− | B |
| Mokena | #69 | A | C | A− | A | A− |
| Frankfort Township | #94 | A | C− | — | A | A |
| Green Garden Township | #328 | B+ | C+ | — | A | B+ |
| New Lenox Township | #149 | A | C | — | A− | A− |
Frankfort Square, Frankfort Township, Green Garden Township and New Lenox Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Frankfort with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Frankfort grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #65 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
11 notable people were born here, including Jessie Ackermann and William Cornelius Van Horne.
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