Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,526, settled in 1908.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Round Lake grades B overall, ranked 366th of 767 in Illinois. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 80% of the country and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $329K, 3.6 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 8.9% of residents are 65 or older in Round Lake, where Illinois’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 36 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history. Round Lake's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Round Lake beats most towns.
Where Round Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Round Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 182 in 1910, 18,721 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2026 and 5 maps from 1920 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Round Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw9 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
26 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
23 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
40 mi MuseumHull HouseWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Hull House: User talk:Hied5, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Round Lake, 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 Round Lake.
Round Lake owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Against the 6,862 U.S. towns with household incomes like Round Lake’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
29% of adults have high blood pressure in Round Lake. Round Lake beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 74% of adults had a checkup this year in Round Lake.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Round Lake | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.1% | 5.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults screened for colon cancer | 54.6% | 60.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 151 to 87 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Round Lake’s property crime rate is 4.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Round Lake for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Round Lake is 31 minutes. Since 2013, Round Lake has added 388 jobs, to 2,612 in 2023.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Round Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 9% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 28% of residents (22% statewide). 42% of Round Lake adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.1 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.1, men 35.3.
| Round Lake | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.4% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.7% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.2% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.8% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1.0 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Nippersink Forest Preserve, at 322 acres.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harts Woods Park | 0.4 mi | 25 |
| 2. Nippersink Forest Preserve | — | 322 |
| 3. Fairfield Park | — | 50 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Round Lake home is worth about $329,000, up 4.2% in a year, 11% above the Illinois typical home.
| Round Lake | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,710 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Round Lake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Round Lake
About 6 of every 100 Round Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Village in Illinois, United States
Round Lake is a northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 18,721.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Round Lake.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Lake | #366 | B | C− | A− | B− | A− |
| Round Lake Park | #215 | A− | B | A | B | B− |
| Round Lake Beach | #505 | B− | C | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Volo | #276 | A− | C− | — | B− | A |
| Long Lake | #521 | C+ | B− | — | C | B− |
| Grant Township | #479 | B− | C | — | B− | B |
| Wauconda Township | #301 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
Volo, Long Lake, Grant Township and Wauconda Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Round Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Round Lake grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #366 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health, A− 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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