US-IL-Chicagoland-Willowbrook, 2006
Willowbrook’s story
Willowbrook in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
Explore the history →WillowbrookIL
A town of 1,913.
Population
1,913
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$281K
Census ACS
Household income
$90K
median
Median age
48.1
years
Jobs based here
16
A commuter town
Is Willowbrook a good place to live?
The best of Willowbrook’s subject grades is an A for incomes; the weakest is a D for cost of living. Willowbrook’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On cost of living, just 42 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. On the outdoors, just 20 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Willowbrook has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A shrinking town
Willowbrook has shrunk 35% from 2010 to 2020
2,076 counted in 2010 and 1,346 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Willowbrook grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Willowbrook is from typical.
Jobs & income$90K median household income; 16 jobs based hereAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $281K, 3.1 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →SchoolsBehind 58% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 9.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →HealthFranciscan Health Dyer 3.2 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 160 attractions →Soldier Field and 134 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Willowbrook. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw24 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
6 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaUnited CenterSources: 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 · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5
_-_Chicago,_IL_-_June_2026.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Willowbrook: who provides what
Willowbrook is unincorporated, so Will County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAqua Illinois-WillowbrookNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWill CountyWill County provides services here
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 hereWill County ClerkWill County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6041760417 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 Willowbrook.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Fewer of Willowbrook’s working residents work locally than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
2.8% of Willowbrook residents live below the poverty line, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Chicago (19%), South Holland (4%) and Chicago Heights (3%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 29 miles.
0%work in town
| Willowbrook | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Willowbrook0%
Chicago19%
South Holland4%
Chicago Heights3%
Crete Township3%
29 mi
median commute distance
16
jobs based in Willowbrook
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Willowbrook, with inland flooding at the top
Expected losses in Willowbrook break down as 71% from inland flooding and 13% from cold waves. For Willowbrook, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 75 of 100.
75risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Willowbrook
Willowbrook has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Summer afternoons peak near 84° in July, and January nights bottom out around 17°; snowfall runs to about 28 inches a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring39–60°
Summer61–82°
Fall43–63°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Willowbrook stands out in Illinois and nationally: a smaller share of its residents are under 18
For Willowbrook, the median age is 48.1 years. Here, nearly two in five adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 38% in Illinois as a whole. 14% of residents are 65 or older locally.
48.1median age · IL 39
| Willowbrook | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 48.1 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
WillowbrookIllinoisUnited States
Ages · share of residents
29%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school43%
Some college5%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate20%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 28% and 79% women
The Census survey reached too few of Willowbrook’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±25.3 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Willowbrook | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.6% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 28.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.7% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 5% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.4% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB−
Willowbrook ranks healthier than 54% of the country’s towns
In Willowbrook, 43% of adults have high blood pressure, and 84% had a checkup this year. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Willowbrook is ahead of Illinois on 8 and behind on 7. Among adults locally, 16% have been diagnosed with depression.
54%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Willowbrook | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 78% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
8 better17 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Willowbrook | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 15.7% | 19.8% |
| More adults with high blood pressure | 43.4% | 33% |
Franciscan Health Dyer
3.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsD−
Open space protected for good: 0.1% of Willowbrook
Parks and preserves in Willowbrook: one, of 12 acres.
0.1%conserved
0.1%
conserved · 0 of 943 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plum Valley Ravines | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Willowbrook
17pages on Willowbrook
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Willowbrook
Prairie State CollegeCommunity college · Public · Chicago Heights7.7 mi$4,176 in-state tuitionGovernors State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · University Park9.6 mi$12,004 in-state tuitionPurdue University NorthwestUniversity or college · Public · Hammond, IN9.9 mi$8,675 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Willowbrook residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Willowbrook for work
Where Willowbrook’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
16jobs based in Willowbrook
0%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Willowbrook’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Willowbrook.
Plum ValleySt. John TownshipCrete TownshipWillowbrook
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willowbrook | — | — | D | — | C+ | B− |
| Plum Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Crete Township | #538 | C+ | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
Willowbrook has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Willowbrook and Crete Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Plum Valley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Willowbrook with a neighbor →
Questions about Willowbrook
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Willowbrook, IL expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.