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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.97° N · 89.06° W · GEOID 1734982

Hillcrest

Ogle County, Illinois · part of the Rochelle, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IllinoisHillcrest, ILHillcrestHillcrest

The short answer

Hillcrest is home to 1,824 people. Median household income is $80,568 a year and median rent is $1,295 a month, 19.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $164,200, about 2.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,295
5% below the median place
Median household income
$80,568
0% above the median place
Median home value
$164,200
49% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
3% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Hillcrest

  • The median home is worth 2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 89% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $161 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 87% of places its size.
  • Households average 2.94 people, larger than in 86% of places its size.
01

Moving to Hillcrest

Ogle County loses about 0.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,104
Moved out2,114
Net−10

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$54K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Ogle County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Ogle County report $57,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $53,800, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$51,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,295 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,456 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $164,200.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 8.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
South Haven, IN matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out7
$53,836
23% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.6%
37% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.1%
44% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.6%37% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.1%44% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.267% above
Income of households moving in7County figure$57,59118% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$53,83623% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Hillcrest19.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$51,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.3%
5% below the median place
Home price to income
2.0x
46% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$65,500
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Hillcrest, $1,295 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Hillcrest.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Hillcrest? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Property tax rate1
1.8%
98% above the median place
Median home value1
$164,200
49% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,2955% below
Rent to income119.3%5% below
Property tax rate11.8%98% above
Home price to income12.0x46% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,08033% below
HUD area median income3County figure$101,2006% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,95210% below
Median home value1$164,20049% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.9%115% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure53.8%4% above
Homeownership182.3%24% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure38.0%25% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,45622% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119810% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
21 min
15% below the median place
Income per person1
$42,762
7% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$80,5680% above
Income per person1$42,7627% above
Unemployment1County figure5.0%3% above
Average annual pay5County figure$61,8446% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure6.3%70% above
Jobs5County figure14,42790% below
Poverty rate19.6%11% below
Mean commute121 min15% below
Works from home1County figure8.0%36% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 97.6%, 6% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
97.6%
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
14.0%
56% below the median place
Household size1
2.9
18% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher86.3% −7%
Born abroad12.2% +39%
Median age37.8 −3%
All 9 people measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,8246646th largest
Population change since 20206-1.6%below (median 1.1%)
Median age137.83% below
Bachelor's or higher114.0%56% below
High school or higher186.3%7% below
Household size12.918% above
Born abroad112.2%39% above
No health insurance1County figure4.1%36% below
Homes with broadband197.6%6% above
05

Life in Hillcrest

29 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.0 +8%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.4 −7%
Shops23.9 −21%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.3 −44%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.7 −47%
Child care centers1.2 −48%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k8
1.2
48% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
10.7
47% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.3
44% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure26189% above
Public school students11County figure8,26969% above
Students per teacher11County figure13.512% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure19.47% below
Shops per 10k8County figure23.921% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.344% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure10.747% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.248% below
Parks per 10k911.08% above
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure29123% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 11.4, 81% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Hillcrest. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
11.4
81% below the median place
January average low12
13°F
48% below the median place
Heat wave risk13
41.8
54% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureHillcrestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure84°F4% below
January average low12County figure13°F48% below
Average temperature12County figure49°F11% below
Annual precipitation12County figure38.4 in12% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure71.123% below
Hurricane risk13County figure13.681% below
Tornado risk13County figure79.92% below
Wildfire risk13County figure11.481% below
Heat wave risk13County figure41.854% below
08

Hillcrest in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 20% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,295/mo (2024)$1,670/mo$1,370 to $2,040/mo+4.4%
Median household income$80,568 (2024)$102,000$86,000 to $120,500+4.0%
Median home value$164,200 (2024)$230,000$167,000 to $317,000+5.8%
Population1,210 (2025)1,2101,160 to 1,260−0.0%

The median home would be worth 2.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Hillcrest

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
South Haven, IN$1,297$76,003Compare
Groves, TX$1,286$73,710Compare
Woodmere, LA$1,382$75,828Compare
Bellwood, IL$1,293$79,513Compare
Bellwood, ILWoodmere, LAGroves, TXSouth Haven, INHillcrest, ILHillcrestSouth HavenGrovesWoodmereBellwoodHillcrestSouth HavenGrovesWoodmereBellwood

Common questions

Is Hillcrest a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is worth 2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 89% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 94 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Hillcrest expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $164,200.

What salary do you need to live in Hillcrest?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $51,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Hillcrest?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are South Haven, IN, Groves, TX, Woodmere, LA and Bellwood, IL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Hillcrest with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Hillcrest itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/hillcrest-illinois

Citytistics. “Hillcrest, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/hillcrest-illinois/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.