Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,307, settled in 1901.
Strong in places, weak in others. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 71% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. It lags on hazard risk as well — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than nearly three fifths of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Walkability is its strong suit: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $264K, 2.9 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. The overall grade comes out at C+, 521st of 767 in Illinois. That leaves it better than just over two fifths of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Grant Woods Forest Preserve, at 43 acres.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Long Lake beats most towns.
Where Long Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Long Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,356 in 2000, 3,663 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 4 maps from 1920 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Long Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw10 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
28 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
26 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
23 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
39 mi Park & preserveLincoln ParkWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lincoln Park: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Long Lake is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Long Lake.
Long Lake sends most of its workers to Chicago and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Long Lake has 243 jobs for its 1,616 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Long Lake: 0.8% of working residents work locally, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Long Lake grew to 243 in 2023, 137 more than in 2013. For Long Lake, the average trip to work is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Chicago (9%), Waukegan (5%) and Gurnee (4%).
| Long Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
83% of Long Lake households are owner-occupiers. Values rose 6.1% in the 12 months to September 2026. The town’s typical rent is $1,530 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,128 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Long Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,530 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1986, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town. 54% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 20%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Long Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grant Woods Forest Preserve | — | 43 |
| 2. Whitewood Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Everbreeze Stanton Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,896 U.S. towns with household incomes like Long Lake’s, it is less healthy than 78%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
For adults in Long Lake, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 21%. In Long Lake, 18% of adults worry about having enough food, and 21% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Long Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Long Lake | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 13.8% | 9.9% |
| More smokers | 14.8% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 58.4% | 63.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Long Lake
About 8 of every 100 Long Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Long Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,663.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Long Lake.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Round Lake Beach (B−) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Lake | #521 | C+ | B− | — | C | B− |
| Round Lake Beach | #505 | B− | C | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Round Lake Heights | #361 | B+ | C+ | A | C+ | B+ |
| Round Lake | #366 | B | C− | A− | B− | A− |
| Avon Township | #401 | B | C | — | B− | A− |
Long Lake and Avon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Long Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Long Lake grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #521 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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