This Is The Best Illinois City To Live In

Naperville is the best Illinois city to live in, according to a new list that ranks the best cities to reside in every state.

Compiled by 24/7 Wall Street, the list notes that Naperville has one of the most well-educated populations of any U.S. city, adding that its high school students test better than students in any city in Illinois other than Arlington Heights. Almost 70 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree — more than twice the 31.3% of adults nationwide with similar education.

“Naperville is largely free of the violent crime that plagues much of the Chicago metro area,” 24/7 Wall Street writes. "There were just 62 violent crimes reported per 100,000 residents in Naperville in 2016, far less than the national rate of 386 incidents per 100,000 Americans and among the least of any U.S. city."

The median home value in Naperville is $421,400, much higher than the state median value of $170,600. The city's poverty rate is 4.1 percent, compared with the state rate of 13 percent.

Last year, the city was named the second best place to livein the country by Niche.com.

Through its analysis, 24/7 Wall Street found that the majority of cities that made the list are home to a large share of college-educated adults than the share of college-educated adults nationwide (31.3 percent). Educated populations, 24/7 Wall Street writes, are more resilient to economic downturns.

Another trend noted by 24/7 Wall Street is that the violent crime rate for almost every city on the list is lower than the U.S. rate. The presence of cultural amenities and entertainment venues was another common factor for the cities.

To determine the best city to live in every state, 24/7 Wall Street considered the 550 cities with populations of 65,000 or more. If a state had no cities with a population of at least 65,000, all cities in the state with a population of 40,000 or more were considered.

Data was collected in nine categories:

1. Crime
2. Demography
3. Economy
4. Education
5. Environment
6. Health
7. Housing
8. Infrastructure
9. Leisure

24/7 Wall Street used data from Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Service, the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ATTOM Data Solutions. For each category, specific measures contributed to a city’s overall score.

See the full list from 24/7 Wall Street here.

Image via Naperville Patch file