Island LakeIL
A town of 8,047, incorporated in 1952.
Is Island Lake a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Island Lake grades B overall, ranked 385th of 767 in Illinois. It reports less crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns and it is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $307K, 3.4 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 15% of the land in Island Lake is conserved, above both Illinois’ towns (3.6%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 51 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on hazard risk. Island Lake's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns.
What makes Island Lake stand out
Where Island Lake beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Island Lake for work
Where Island Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Island Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Island Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Island Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Island Lake, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Island Lake.
Island Lake sends most of its workers to Chicago and beyond and sees little violent crime, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Illinois (mostly inland flooding).
Compared with most of Illinois and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Island Lake is higher
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $468 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
At 96 of 100, Island Lake’s FEMA risk score is above both the Illinois town median (50 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). One flood insurance claim has been paid in Island Lake since 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Island Lake earns an A for safety
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Island Lake’s violent crime rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Island Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Converse Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 2. Veteran's Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Maple Ridge Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Island Lake earns an A− for health
19% of adults binge drink in Island Lake. Island Lake beats the Illinois average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Island Lake.
| Island Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Island Lake | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 10.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Island Lake
Island Lake has 730 jobs for its 3,868 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Island Lake for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Island Lake is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Island Lake grew to 730 in 2023, 67 more than in 2013.
| Island Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Island Lake, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Island Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More middle-aged adults than Illinois overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). 14% of Island Lake residents are 65 or older. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Island Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.1 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Island Lake | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.4% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Island Lake earns a C− for cost of living
Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Island Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,874 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Wrigley Field and 96 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Island Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw15 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
25 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
23 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
40 mi MuseumHull HousePhoto credits
Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Hull House: User talk:Hied5, Public domain
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Everything we know about Island Lake
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Island Lake
About 4 of every 100 Island Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Island Lake
Village in Illinois, United States
Island Lake is a village in Lake and McHenry counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 8,051. The village surrounds Island Lake, a lake which contains a small island.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 781 ft
- ZIP code
- 60042
Island Lake’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Island Lake.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Lake | #385 | B | C− | A | B | A− |
| Port Barrington | — | — | C− | — | A− | A− |
Port Barrington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Port Barrington reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Island Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Island Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Island Lake, IL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Island Lake grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #385 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health, A for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Island Lake, IL expensive?
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−.