Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waukegan is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 639th of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $247K, 2.7 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 72% of U.S. towns, with 331 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 16% of the land in Waukegan is conserved, against 3.6% in Illinois’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 20 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Waukegan's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns.
Where Waukegan beats most towns.
Near North Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Waukegan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,433 in 1860, 89,321 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 5 maps from 1906 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waukegan. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw36 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSix Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 Waukegan, 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 Waukegan.
Waukegan carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors, but it has seen reported crime rise by a third or more.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $251 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
At 11 of 100, Waukegan’s FEMA risk score is where Illinois’ towns sit at 50 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1993, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waukegan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes rose from 1,282 to 1,694 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Waukegan’s violent crime rate is 3.7 per 1,000 residents. Waukegan reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 72% report less. Waukegan’s property crime rate is 15.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Waukegan | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6.1 miles of trail in 44 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Greenbelt Forest Preserve, at 321 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waukegan Dunes | 1.4 mi | 27 |
| 2. Foss Park | 0.5 mi | 13 |
| 3. Bowen Park | 0.4 mi | 66 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
All 7 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Beach Park (B−) to Green Oaks (A).
21% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Waukegan. Waukegan beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 74% of adults had a checkup this year in Waukegan.
| Waukegan | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Waukegan | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.7% | 24.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 21.3% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Waukegan has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Waukegan is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Waukegan has about as many jobs (28,297) as working residents, but only 5,215 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Waukegan for work: only 16% work in town. 15% of Waukegan residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Waukegan has lost 5,671 jobs, to 28,297 in 2023.
| Waukegan | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Home values rose 45% in five years, to about $247K, against 30% across Illinois.
Typical home values rose 6.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Waukegan | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 75% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 49% | 46% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Waukegan
About 5 of every 100 Waukegan residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
6 places in Waukegan on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in Waukegan.
City in Illinois, United States
Waukegan ( wə-KEE-ghən) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located 36 miles (58 km) north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Its population was 89,321 at the 2020 census. Waukegan is the most populous city in Lake County, the seventh-most populous city within the Chicago metropolitan area, and the 10th-most populous city in Illinois. Waukegan has historically been more industrial in comparison to neighboring wealthy North Shore suburbs; it has long been classified by the Illinois state government as "socioeconomically distressed" despite having some middle class inhabitants.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Waukegan.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Beach Park (C) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan · Waukegan Township | #639 | C− | C+ | C | C | C |
| Beach Park | #606 | C | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Park City | #277 | A− | A | — | C | B+ |
| Gurnee | #450 | B− | C− | C | B− | A |
| Wadsworth | #499 | B− | C | — | C | A |
| Green Oaks | #55 | A+ | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Warren Township | #362 | B+ | C− | — | B− | A |
| North Chicago | #337 | B+ | C+ | B | B+ | B |
Beach Park, Park City, Wadsworth, Green Oaks and Warren Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Waukegan Township and Waukegan are one community, graded once. Compare Waukegan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waukegan grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #639 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
49 notable people were born here, including Ray Bradbury and Kim Stanley Robinson.
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