Winnetka Named Ideal Suburb In Illinois

WINNETKA, IL — Winnetka is the best suburb in Illinois and the second-best small town to live in the United States, according to a ranking by the website 24/7 Wall St.

The rankings cited Winnetka's low unemployment and crime rates and residents' easy access to parks and commuter rail, which allows more than a quarter of commuters to get to work without needing to drive.

The only community in the nation to rank higher than the village of Winnetka was Manhattan Beach, California. By comparison, Winnetka has a lower average unemployment rate, a higher average income and a faster-growing population.

According to the rankings, Winnetka's employment rate averaged 2.4 percent over a five-year period when the national average was 5.9 percent.

Median household income stood at more than $220,500, and the population grew by 1.7 percent over a five-year period, even as Illinois' and Cook County's population dropped.

"The village also boasts a high per capita concentration of restaurants, bars, and theater companies," according to 24/7 Wall St., "as well as a total of 27 parks that span nearly 250 acres."

The ranking only included all towns with populations between 2,000 and 100,000 residents and considered 11 pieces of data.

Using five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the methodology considered median home values and size, the adult unemployment rate, average commutes, median household income, homeownership rates, poverty rates and an affordability ratio that compares median home prices to income.

Data from the FBI's 2019 Uniform Crime Report was used to compare per capita crime rates, and the measurement of access to places for physical activity was taken from the 2020 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps.

The rankings also included the "worst" places to live. Yazoo City, Mississippi, with a 42.6 percent poverty rate, an unemployment over 20 percent and a population on the decline. Two Georgia towns, along with one in Michigan and one in Louisiana, rounded out the five worst-ranked places to live.