Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Prospect Heights grades A− overall, 258th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country. The median household earns $85K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $330K, 3.6 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Only 47 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history. Prospect Heights is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Allison Woods Preserve, at 61 acres.
Where Prospect Heights beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Prospect Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 11,823 in 1980, 16,058 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2018 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Prospect Heights. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
7 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
Big draw28 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaUnited CenterWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prospect Heights, 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 Prospect Heights.
Prospect Heights trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors, costs less than Mount Prospect or any other town next door and has less tooth loss than most of Illinois.
3.1 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Prospect Heights’ trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Illinois’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Prospect Heights | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willow Trails Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
| 2. Allison Woods Preserve | — | 61 |
| 3. Patriots Park | — | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Illinois is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.3% statewide.
27% of adults have obesity in Prospect Heights, where Illinois’ towns sit at 37% and U.S. towns at 35%. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Prospect Heights. Prospect Heights beats the Illinois average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Prospect Heights | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Prospect Heights | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 10.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.9% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 151 to 88 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
Prospect Heights’ violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Prospect Heights | 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) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Prospect Heights has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Prospect Heights has about as many jobs (6,667) as working residents, but only 219 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 4,654 in 2013 to 6,667.
Most working residents leave Prospect Heights for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Prospect Heights grew to 6,667 in 2023, 2,013 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Chicago (17%), Wheeling (5%) and Arlington Heights (5%).
| Prospect Heights | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 17% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). 41% of Prospect Heights adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Prospect Heights has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 15,552 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Prospect Heights | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.8 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Prospect Heights | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.2% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.1% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.6% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.6% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Mount Prospect is next at $449K.
Typical home values rose 7.1% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Prospect Heights is $1,475 a month.
| Prospect Heights | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,475 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 71 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Prospect Heights.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
19 within 15 miles of the center of Prospect Heights
About 5 of every 100 Prospect Heights residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Prospect Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 16,058.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Prospect Heights.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect Heights | #258 | A− | C− | B+ | B+ | A |
| Arlington Heights | #88 | A | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| Wheeling | #319 | B+ | C− | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Mount Prospect | #231 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Glenview | #192 | A− | D− | B− | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Prospect Heights grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #258 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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