Farman Hotel (NBY 1228), 1960
Lake Zurich’s story
185 years in pictures
Census counts: 146 in 1880, 19,759 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1950 and 6 maps from 1923 on.
- 1841Lake Zurich is settled
Lake ZurichIL
A town of 19,868, settled in 1841.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: MinimalRM · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
19,868
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$503K
+7.3% in a year
Household income
$136K
median
Median age
40.3
years
Jobs based here
11,943
Balanced
TownGrade
A
#106 of 767 in IL
Is Lake Zurich a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Zurich grades A overall, 106th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The median household earns $136K. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and its schools outperform 94% of the state's. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $503K, 5.5 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 61% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lake Zurich, against 29% in Illinois’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 90 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Lake Zurich is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns.
What makes Lake Zurich stand out
Where Lake Zurich beats most towns.
Get outside
6 miles of trails in Lake Zurich
7% of the town is conserved land, across 20 parks and preserves.
2
Old Mill Grove Park0.5 mi of trails · 23 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
How Lake Zurich grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Lake Zurich is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 10%), so the A overall blends very different results.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthAdvocate Good Shepherd Hospital 2 miles awayA+Open →SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.8 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 2.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA−Open →SafetyBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6 miles of trailsAOpen →History5 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life3.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 187 attractions →Wrigley Field and 151 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Zurich. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw14 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
17 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lake Zurich: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Zurich, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Zurich water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lake Zurich’s trash rules yet
SchoolsAdlai E. Stevenson High School District 125Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 952 districts serve Lake Zurich; 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 hereLake County ClerkLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2024
ZIP codes60047, 6001060047 97% · 60010 3%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 Lake Zurich.
Lake Zurich carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding), has less food insecurity than most of Illinois and is safe by national standards but not by Illinois’s.
HousingCost of living grade D
For cost of living, Lake Zurich earns a D
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Hawthorn Woods is next at $752K. The median property tax bill is $9,217, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
For Lake Zurich, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,909 a month. Home values are up 7.3% over the year to September 2026. Homes sold in Lake Zurich spent a median 38 days on the market.
$503KZillow home value
| Lake Zurich | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,909 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lake Zurich$503K
Illinois$296K
Market temperature
38
days on market
105.5%
sale-to-list price
+7.3%
value change, 1 year
15
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA+
Compared with most of Illinois and the rest of the country, fewer of Lake Zurich’s adults get no exercise outside work
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 7.2% of its 14,951 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide.
30% of Lake Zurich adults have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Lake Zurich is ahead of Illinois on 21 and behind on 1.
96%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Lake Zurich | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 23% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
21 better10 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Lake Zurich | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 7.6% |
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
94th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsA
Protected land: 7% of Lake Zurich
The biggest park or preserve is Oak Ridge Marsh Nature Park, at 44 acres. 5.9 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The density of trails in Lake Zurich is 0.8 miles per square mile.
#156for trails in IL
| Lake Zurich | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
7%
conserved · 328 of 4,659 acres
5.9 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paulus Park | 1 mi | 31 |
| 2. Old Mill Grove Park | 0.5 mi | 23 |
| 3. Oak Ridge Marsh Nature Park | 0.4 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Very low risk in Lake Zurich, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $259 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Federal aid has come to Lake Zurich households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2013. For Lake Zurich, the FEMA risk score is 18 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1986: 6. FEMA puts 51% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 21% to tornadoes.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
6
paid flood claims since 1986
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Lake Zurich has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The July high for Lake Zurich comes to 83°F.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–33°
Spring37–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall42–61°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Lake Zurich has 1.2 jobs for every working resident, and 11,151 people commute in
The top destinations are Chicago (17%), Schaumburg (4%) and Arlington Heights (3%). Just 8% of Lake Zurich’s working residents have a job in town. The town had 11,943 jobs in 2023, up 2,468 from 2013. 22% of workers do their job from home in the town.
8%work in town
| Lake Zurich | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $136,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Lake Zurich8%
Chicago17%
Schaumburg4%
Arlington Heights3%
Palatine3%
13 mi
median commute distance
11,943
jobs based in Lake Zurich
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyB
Crime per resident in Lake Zurich is lower than in 60% of U.S. towns
At 14.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 54% of Illinois’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 247 to 197 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lake Zurich’s level of violent crime is 0.7 per 1,000 residents. In Lake Zurich, the property offense rate is 9.1 per 1,000 residents.
60%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
| Lake Zurich | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lake Zurich0.7
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lake Zurich9.1
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
60th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
46th
percentile among IL towns
14
violent crimes reported in 2025
183
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Zurich
20pages on Lake Zurich
The big questions
SchoolsABeat 94% of IL districtsSafetyB0.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthA+Better than IL on 21 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingD$503K typical home · up 7.3% in a yearWork & commuteA+$136K median household income · 11,943 jobs hereNatural hazardsA−FEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Zurich
University of Saint Mary of the LakeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Mundelein7.3 miWilliam Rainey Harper CollegeCommunity college · Public · Palatine7.9 mi$3,894 in-state tuitionAmbria College of NursingUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Hoffman Estates10.5 mi
About 8 of every 100 Lake Zurich residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Lake Zurich
5 notable people were born in Lake Zurich.
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About Lake Zurich
Village in Illinois, United States
Lake Zurich is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,759. The village is named after a body of water named "Lake Zurich," which is completely located inside the village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1896
- Area
- 7.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 850 ft
- ZIP code
- 60047
Lake Zurich’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Lake Zurich.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A; North Barrington (A) is closest.
Hawthorn WoodsKildeerDeer ParkNorth BarringtonLake Zurich
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Zurich | #106 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Hawthorn Woods | #2 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A+ |
| Kildeer | #59 | A | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Deer Park | #62 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| North Barrington | #83 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
Deer Park and North Barrington report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Zurich with a neighbor →
Questions about Lake Zurich
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Zurich, IL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Zurich grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #106 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 D.
Is Lake Zurich, 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 D.
What is Lake Zurich, IL known for?
5 notable people were born here, including Phoebe Snetsinger and Matt Blanchard.