Chicago Tribune Jun 12 1927, 1927
Northfield’s story
176 years in pictures
Census counts: 311 in 1930, 5,751 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
- 1850Northfield is settled
Population
5,632
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Median home value
$878K
Census ACS
Household income
$162K
median
Median age
49.2
years
Jobs based here
7,310
A job hub
TownGrade
A+
#26 of 767 in IL
Is Northfield a good place to live?
Few places in the country grade higher. Northfield earns an A+, ranked 26th of 767 in Illinois. The median household earns $162K, on CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, and its schools rank ahead of 98% of Illinois towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $878K for a typical one and 9.7 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Northfield, against 29% in Illinois’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Northfield is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Hibbard Woods Preserve, at 72 acres.
What makes Northfield stand out
Where Northfield beats most towns.
32 measures vs. Illinois
24 better6 too close to call2 worse
| Widest gap | Northfield | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 15.9% |
HealthA+
Healthier than 99% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
WalkabilityA+
More walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
7.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here7,310
Residents who work2,639
Work
2.8 jobs for every working resident
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 97% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
A job hub
Every workday, about 7,169 people come to Northfield for work
Where Northfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
7,310jobs based in Northfield
5%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Northfield grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Northfield is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
Jobs & income7,310 jobs based hereA+Open →HealthAmong the healthiest U.S. towns; Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital 5.5 miles awayA+Open →SchoolsA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 13.7 of 20; 4% of households have no carA+Open →Cost of livingDOpen →SafetyA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trails; 12% conserved landA−Open →History2 notable people born hereC−Open →Civic life2.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 174 attractions →Wrigley Field and 152 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Northfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw24 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
9 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 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Northfield: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northfield, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNorthfield water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTown’s haulerTown site
SchoolsNew Trier Township High School District 203Sunset Ridge School District 29Avoca School District 373 districts serve Northfield; 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 hereCook County ClerkCook County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP code6009360093 100%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 Northfield.
Northfield draws workers from Chicago and beyond and has less food insecurity than most of Illinois, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Illinois.
OutdoorsA−
Northfield has set aside 11.5% of its land for conservation
4.5 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Northfield is 1.4 miles per square mile.
#61for trails in IL
11.5%
conserved · 236 of 2,053 acres
4.5 mi
of trails · 1.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willow Park | 1 mi | 27 |
| 2. Forest Preserve District of Cook County | 0.8 mi | 47 |
| 3. Hibbard Woods Preserve | 0.6 mi | 72 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthA+
A smaller share of adults in Northfield have obesity than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 5.9% of its 4,440 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide.
24% of adults have obesity in Northfield. Northfield beats the Illinois average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 18% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Northfield.
99%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Northfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
24 better6 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Northfield | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 15.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.9% | 10.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 7.6% |
Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital
5.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
99th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
About one in three of Northfield’s working residents commute to Chicago
7,310 jobs are based in Northfield, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 30.4% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Northfield for work: only 5% work in town. 3.2% of Northfield residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Chicago (31%), Northbrook (6%) and Evanston (5%).
5%work in town
| Northfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $162,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Northfield5%
Chicago31%
Northbrook6%
Evanston5%
Glenview4%
12 mi
median commute distance
7,310
jobs based in Northfield
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyA−
Northfield reports less crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
Northfield’s violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
77%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
| Northfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Northfield0.5
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Northfield6.3
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
77th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
70th
percentile among IL towns
3
violent crimes reported in 2025
35
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Northfield
Northfield has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–35°
Spring39–57°
Summer62–81°
Fall45–61°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Northfield
135 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 135 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Northfield.
53risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
135
paid flood claims since 1979
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade D
The median home in Northfield sells for about $735K
At 9.7 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 98% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
$735Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
36
days on market
99%
sale-to-list price
7
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Northfield
20pages on Northfield
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
19 within 15 miles of the center of Northfield
Midwest College of Oriental Medicine-SkokieUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Skokie4.2 miOakton CollegeCommunity college · Public · Des Plaines6 mi$3,985 in-state tuitionNortheastern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Chicago9 mi$12,383 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Northfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Get outside
5 miles of trails in Northfield
11.5% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
3
Hibbard Woods Preserve0.6 mi of trails · 72 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Northfield
Village in Illinois, United States
Northfield is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located approximately 19 miles (31 km) north of downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village's population was 5,751. It is part of a collection of upscale residential communities north of Chicago that belong to New Trier and Northfield Townships and the greater North Shore.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 633 ft
Northfield’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Northfield.
NorthbrookGlenviewWinnetkaGlencoeWilmetteNorthfield
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield | #26 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Northbrook | #61 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Glenview | #192 | A− | D− | B− | A | A+ |
| Winnetka | #10 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Glencoe | #11 | A+ | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Wilmette | #67 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Questions about Northfield
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Northfield, IL a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Northfield grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #26 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Northfield, IL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $878,000, 197% above the Illinois typical home. 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 Northfield, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Grace Joyce and Kathy Kemper.