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Illinois›McHenry County

RidgefieldIL

A town of 221, settled in 1858.

Is Ridgefield a good place to live?

76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ridgefield, against 29% in Illinois’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. No town among the 769 in Illinois we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Ridgefield. Ridgefield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Ridgefield stand out

Where Ridgefield beats most towns.

Small town

221 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Crystal LakeDorr TownshipNunda TownshipCrystal LakeDorr TownshipNunda TownshipRidgefield
Getting set up

Moving to Ridgefield: who provides what

Ridgefield is unincorporated, so McHenry County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMcHenry CountyMcHenry County provides services here
SchoolsCrystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47Community High School District 1552 districts serve Ridgefield; 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.gov
Who runs elections hereMcHenry County ClerkMcHenry County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes60098, 6001260098 62% · 60012 38%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 Ridgefield.

Work & commute

Ridgefield has 5.5 jobs for every working resident, and 584 people commute in

Most working residents leave Ridgefield for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Ridgefield has lost 101 jobs, to 586 in 2023. The top destinations are Crystal Lake (17%), Chicago (10%) and Woodstock (9%).

2%work in town

Where working residents work

In Ridgefield2%
Crystal Lake17%
Chicago10%
Woodstock9%
Elgin5%
17 mi
median commute distance
586
jobs based in Ridgefield
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

In Ridgefield, the FEMA risk score runs lower than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town

At 10 of 100, Ridgefield’s FEMA risk score is below both the Illinois town median (50 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).

10risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
10Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Ridgefield

Ridgefield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Ridgefield is 83°F.

35″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter17–32°
Spring37–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall41–61°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Ridgefield is

Ridgefield beats the Illinois average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Ridgefield adults sleep under 7 hours.

RidgefieldIllinois townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)30%35%36%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)30%33%33%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)40%35%35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)15%17%17%
32 measures vs. Illinois
8 better19 too close to call5 worse
What stands outRidgefieldIL
Fewer uninsured adults5.8%9.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity9.7%15.9%
More adults who have had cancer11.3%7.6%
Mercyhealth Hospital & Physician Clinic-Crystal La
3.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

$450Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Six Flags Great America and 43 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ridgefield. Close and well known come first.

All 186 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ridgefield

15pages on Ridgefield
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Ridgefield

A job hub

Every workday, about 584 people come to Ridgefield for work

Where Ridgefield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

17% → Crystal Lake Crystal Lake 17% 10% → Chicago Chicago 10% 9% → Woodstock Woodstock 9% 5% → Elgin Elgin 5% 4% → Lombard Lombard 4% 4% → Huntley Huntley 4% Ridgefield · 2% stay
586jobs based in Ridgefield
2%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Ridgefield

Census-designated place in Illinois, United States

Ridgefield is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Ridgefield is 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Crystal Lake. It was named a CDP before the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 210.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Elevation
938 ft

Questions about Ridgefield

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ridgefield, IL a good place to live?

Ridgefield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.