Fishermen at Summit, Ill's, 1900
Summit’s story
185 years in pictures
Census counts: 272 in 1880, 11,161 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 8 maps from 1891 on.
- 1841Summit is settled
Photo: vx700 · CC BY 3.0
Population
10,753
2025 Census estimate · −3.6% since 2020
Typical home
$283K
+3.3% in a year
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
38.1
years
Jobs based here
3,510
Balanced
TownGrade
C−
#672 of 767 in IL
What should you know before moving to Summit?
Summit's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C−, ranked 672nd of 767 in Illinois. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. Summit sits below both Illinois’ towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%) on this measure. On civic life, just 14 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Summit Park, at 56 acres.
What makes Summit stand out
Where Summit beats most towns.
How Summit grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Summit is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 15.9 of 20; 8.8% of households have no carA+Open →SchoolsC−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SafetyCOpen →HealthLess healthy than 66% of U.S. towns; Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange 2.9 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →Jobs & income$62K median household income; 3,510 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailB+Open →History2 notable people born hereBOpen →Civic life1.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market157 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.1; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 167 attractions →Soldier Field and 152 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Summit. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw12 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw12 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · 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 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Summit: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Summit, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSummit water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFridayTrash dayTown site
SchoolsArgo Community High School District 217Summit School District 1042 districts serve Summit; 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 code6050160501 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 Summit.
Summit is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
SafetyC
More crime per resident in Summit than in 66% of U.S. towns
Reported crimes fell from 198 to 123 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
34%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Summit1.9
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Summit9.6
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
34th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
26th
percentile among IL towns
20
violent crimes reported in 2025
103
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HealthC
A larger share of adults worry about having enough food in Summit than in most of Illinois or the rest of the country
Against the 9,372 U.S. towns with household incomes like Summit’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Lyons (B) to Lyons Township (A).
33% of Summit adults worry about having enough food. Summit beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 26% of Summit adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Summit | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
3 better10 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Summit | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20% | 24.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 26.4% | 9.9% |
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange
2.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
21st
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Summit has four seasons and pleasant summers
Summit has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring39–59°
Summer62–82°
Fall44–63°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Summit has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Summit for work: only 6% work in town. Summit’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. The top destinations are Chicago (28%), Bedford Park (3%) and Hodgkins (2%).
6%work in town
| Summit | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.2% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Summit6%
Chicago28%
Bedford Park3%
Hodgkins2%
Bridgeview2%
11 mi
median commute distance
3,510
jobs based in Summit
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Summit
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Summit.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 1980
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5%conserved
| Summit | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
5%
conserved · 72 of 1,436 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Summit Park | 0.9 mi | 56 |
| 2. Argo Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Hanover Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C
Summit’s typical home value is about $283K
The typical Summit home is worth about $283,000, up 3.3% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home. 61% of households own their home in Summit.
$283KZillow home value
| Summit | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,137 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Summit$283K
Illinois$296K
Market temperature
157
days on market
99.7%
sale-to-list price
+3.3%
value change, 1 year
8
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Summit
20pages on Summit
The big questions
SchoolsC−Behind 84% of IL districtsSafetyC1.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than IL on 3 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC$283K typical home · up 3.3% in a yearWork & commuteB−$62K median household income · 3,510 jobs hereNatural hazardsCFEMA risk higher than 62% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
53 within 15 miles of the center of Summit
Morton CollegeCommunity college · Public · Cicero3.6 mi$5,502 in-state tuitionCity Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Chicago5.2 mi$4,590 in-state tuitionUniversity of Illinois ChicagoUniversity or college · Public · Chicago10.2 mi$14,338 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Summit residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Summit
City in Illinois, United States
Summit is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,161 at the 2020 census. The name Summit, in use since 1836, refers to the highest point on the Chicago Portage between the northeast-flowing Chicago River and the southwest-flowing Des Plaines River located just north of the city. Argo is a subdivision annexed by Summit in 1911 when it was new. Named for the nearby cornstarch and baking powder manufacturing plant, it developed separately from the older part of the city. The name "Argo" is still widely used but is not part of the name of the city itself.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1890
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 614 ft
- ZIP code
- 60501
- Area code
- 708
Summit’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Summit.
Bedford ParkMcCookLyons TownshipChicagoLyonsStickney TownshipForest ViewSummit
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit | #672 | C− | C | C | C− | C |
| Bedford Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| McCook | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lyons Township | #219 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Chicago | #676 | C− | C− | D | C | B+ |
| Lyons | #618 | C | C | — | D | B |
| Stickney Township | #604 | C | C | — | C− | B |
| Forest View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lyons Township, Lyons and Stickney Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Bedford Park, McCook and Forest View aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Summit with a neighbor →
Questions about Summit
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Summit, IL a good place to live?
Summit grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #672 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Summit, IL expensive?
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($90,887 across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
What is Summit, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Ted Kluszewski and Clayton Lambert.