Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The weak point is schools (D): its public schools trail 88% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. At D overall, South Holland is better than 6% of U.S. towns and ranks 743rd of 767 in Illinois. It lags on cost of living as well: the typical home is worth about $231K, 2.5 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D) — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Where it does best is walkability (A): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. The town is home to South Suburban College. Gouwens Park, at 25 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for health and B− for incomes.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · health, CDC PLACES · OpenStreetMap.
Where South Holland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far South Holland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,005 in 1890, 21,465 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 8 maps from 1892 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Holland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw13 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw20 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · 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 South Holland, 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 South Holland.
South Holland costs more than Lansing or any other town next door and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Illinois (mostly inland flooding).
4.7 miles of trail wind through 25 parks and preserves. South Holland’s concentration of trails stands at 0.7 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Illinois’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| South Holland | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gouwens Park | 1.2 mi | 25 |
| 2. Veterans Park | 1.2 mi | 21 |
| 3. Riverview Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $765 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 494 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 22 properties have flooded more than once.
Households in South Holland have drawn federal disaster aid in 9 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Expected losses in South Holland break down as 64% from inland flooding and 18% from cold waves. Also worth knowing: the town has had 494 paid flood insurance claims since 1981.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 563 to 391 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
South Holland’s level of property crime stands at 17.3 per 1,000 residents, where Illinois’ towns sit at 7.9 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Its rate of reported violence stands at 1.6 per 1,000 residents.
| South Holland | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Lansing is next at $201K. 80.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 47.9% across Illinois.
The share of households in South Holland who own their home: 83%. Homes in the town are typically worth about $231,000, up 0.7% in a year, 22% below the Illinois typical home. Its median rent stands at $1,856 a month.
| South Holland | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,856 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
A winter brings about 28 inches of snow, with January nights at 18° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 7% of working residents stay in South Holland for work; the rest commute out. South Holland’s mean commuting time comes in at 34 minutes. Jobs in South Holland grew by 1,168 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 11,535. 14% of South Holland residents live below the poverty line.
| South Holland | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in South Holland. Among 767 Illinois towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than South Holland. CDC measures, 32 in all: South Holland beats Illinois on 6 and trails on 17.
| South Holland | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | South Holland | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.8% | 17.8% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
22 within 15 miles of the center of South Holland
About 5 of every 100 South Holland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
4 notable people were born in South Holland.
Village in Illinois, United States
South Holland is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, within Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census. It is named after the Dutch province of South Holland.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with South Holland.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Holland | #743 | D | C− | C− | D | C+ |
| Harvey | #751 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Thornton | — | — | B+ | C | D | A− |
| Calumet City | #733 | D | C+ | — | D | C− |
| Dolton | #757 | D− | C | — | D | C− |
| Lansing | #668 | C− | C+ | C− | C− | B− |
| Phoenix | — | — | A− | B− | D | C− |
| East Hazel Crest | — | — | B− | D | D | B− |
Thornton, Phoenix and East Hazel Crest have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Calumet City and Dolton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare South Holland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
South Holland grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #743 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Mark Mulder and Kevin Drumm.
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