Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Naperville is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 46th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, its public schools beat 93% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $155K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $618K, 6.8 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Naperville, above both the Illinois town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Naperville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. Naperville is home to North Central College.
Where Naperville beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Naperville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,713 in 1870, 149,540 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 7 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Naperville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw30 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw29 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 Naperville, 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 Naperville.
Naperville has less no health insurance than most of Illinois and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Illinois.
At 6.8 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $619K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Winfield Township is next at $461K.
The median rent in Naperville is $1,885 a month. Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026. 40% of Naperville renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Naperville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,885 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 40% | 46% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 4.6% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide.
8.7% of adults report frequent physical distress in Naperville. Naperville beats the Illinois average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Naperville.
| Naperville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Naperville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
25 miles of trail in 133 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is DuPage River Park, 262 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. Naperville’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Naperville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knock Knolls Park | 3.1 mi | 116 |
| 2. Centennial Park | 1.4 mi | 28 |
| 3. Frontier Sports Complex | 1.2 mi | 106 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 1,385 to 973 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 108 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Naperville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
31.1% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Illinois.
Since 2013, Naperville has added 10,267 jobs, to 82,197 in 2023. Most working residents leave Naperville for work: only 17% work in town. The top destinations are Chicago (19%), Aurora (4%) and Downers Grove (3%).
| Naperville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $155,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 116 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Naperville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
10 within 15 miles of the center of Naperville
About 6 of every 100 Naperville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
2 places in Naperville on the National Register of Historic Places.
42 notable people were born in Naperville.
City in Illinois, United States
Naperville (, NAY-pər-vil) is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a city southwest of Chicago located 28 miles (45 km) west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,540, making it the state's fourth-most populous city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was established by the banks of the DuPage River and was originally known as Naper's Settlement. By 1832, over 100 residents lived in Naper's Settlement. In 1839, after DuPage County was split from Cook County, Naperville became the county seat, which it remained until 1868. Beginning in the 1960s, Naperville experienced a significant population i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Naperville.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naperville | #46 | A+ | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| Warrenville | #164 | A | C− | A− | A− | A− |
| Lisle | #20 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Bolingbrook | #395 | B | D | B | B+ | B |
| Aurora | #422 | B | C− | C+ | B+ | B |
| Plainfield | #183 | A− | D | A− | B+ | A |
| Naperville Township | #115 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Winfield Township | #347 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | A− |
Naperville Township and Winfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Naperville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Naperville grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #46 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.
42 notable people were born here, including Anthony Parker and Chris Brady.
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