Is Markham a good place to live?
Markham grades D overall, ranked 732nd of 767 in Illinois, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 80% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Markham’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 81 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history. Markham's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns.
What makes Markham stand out
Where Markham beats most towns.
4 miles of trails in Markham
14.1% of the town is conserved land, across 14 parks and preserves.
How Markham grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Markham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Soldier Field and 153 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Markham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw14 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw20 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Soldier 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
Moving to Markham: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Markham, 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 Markham.
Markham has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Conserved land covers 14.1% of Markham
3.8 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Indian Boundary Prairies, at 366 acres. Markham’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gensburg - Markham Prairie Nature Preserve | 1.2 mi | 132 |
| 2. Paintbrush Prairie Nature Preserve | 1.1 mi | 74 |
| 3. Roesner Park | 0.5 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Markham’s typical home value is about $156K
At 1.7 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $156K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. 77.9% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 47.9% across Illinois.
The typical Markham home is worth about $156,000, up 1.8% in a year, 47% below the Illinois typical home. The median rent in Markham is $1,621 a month.
| Markham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,621 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Markham stands out in Illinois and nationally, with more of its adults who have diabetes
18% of adults have diabetes in Markham. Markham beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 42% of adults have high blood pressure in Markham.
| Markham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 35% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Markham | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.3% | 17.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.8% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Markham faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
196 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 19 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 196 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Markham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Markham
Markham 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.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in three of Markham’s working residents commute to Chicago
Markham has about as many jobs (5,180) as working residents, but only 165 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 35.7 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Markham for work: only 4% work in town. 18% of Markham residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Markham has added 1,819 jobs, to 5,180 in 2023.
| Markham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 11% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Everything we know about Markham
Colleges nearby
21 within 15 miles of the center of Markham
About 4 of every 100 Markham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Markham
4 notable people were born in Markham.
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About Markham
City in Illinois, United States
Markham is a city and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,661 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1925
- Area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 610 ft
- ZIP code
- 60428
- Area code
- 708
Markham’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Markham.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham | #732 | D | C+ | — | C− | C− |
| Harvey | #751 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Oak Forest | #193 | A− | C | A− | C+ | A |
| Hazel Crest | #739 | D | C+ | D | C− | C+ |
| Midlothian | #549 | C+ | C+ | C+ | C | B+ |
| Country Club Hills | #725 | D | C− | C− | C− | B− |
| Posen | #653 | C− | B− | C− | C | B− |
Markham reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Markham with a neighbor →
Questions about Markham
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Markham, IL a good place to live?
Markham grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #732 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Markham, IL expensive?
That is 1.7 years of the area's median household income ($90,887 across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Markham, IL known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Tricky Stewart and Rodney Harrison.