Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. La Grange earns an A+, ranked 42nd of 767 in Illinois. The median household earns $160K, on CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, and its public schools beat 94% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $675K for a typical one and 7.4 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 67% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in La Grange, where Illinois’ towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. La Grange is among the most walkable places in the country. On history, just 14 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better.
Where La Grange beats most towns.
| Widest gap | La Grange | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 15.9% |
Lyons Township Hall
Census counts: 531 in 1880, 16,321 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 8 maps from 1891 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far La Grange is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Grange. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw15 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw14 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Grange, 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 La Grange.
La Grange has less food insecurity than most of Illinois and is safe by national standards but not by Illinois’s; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Illinois.
At 7.4 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $675K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; La Grange Park is next at $494K.
The median rent in La Grange is $1,856 a month. Typical home values rose 12% in the year to September 2026. 82% of households own their home in La Grange.
| La Grange | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,856 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.5 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. La Grange’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Sedgwick Park, at 23 acres.
| La Grange | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sedgwick Park | 0.7 mi | 23 |
| 2. Denning Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
| 3. Gilbert Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 8.1% of its 11,935 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide.
15% of La Grange adults get no exercise outside work. Among 767 Illinois towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than La Grange. 21% of La Grange adults binge drink.
| La Grange | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | La Grange | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.3% | 9.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.2% | 17.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
La Grange has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 52% of Illinois’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 175 to 114 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
28.6% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Illinois.
Most working residents leave La Grange for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, La Grange has lost 960 jobs, to 6,256 in 2023. The top destinations are Chicago (39%), Oak Brook (2%) and Downers Grove (2%).
| La Grange | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $160,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Grange.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
53 within 15 miles of the center of La Grange
About 3 of every 100 La Grange residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
4 places in La Grange on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in La Grange.
Village in Illinois, United States
La Grange ( lə GRAYNJ; often spelled LaGrange) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,321 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with La Grange.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Grange | #42 | A+ | C− | B | A | A+ |
| Countryside | #272 | A− | C | C | A | A |
| La Grange Park | #22 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Lyons Township | #219 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Proviso Township | #512 | C+ | C | — | C | B+ |
Lyons Township and Proviso Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare La Grange with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. La Grange grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #42 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−.
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−.
13 notable people were born here, including John Lewis and Leona Woods.
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