CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.52° N · 87.55° W · GEOID 1745421

Lynwood

Cook County, Illinois · part of the Chicago, IL metro

IllinoisLynwood, ILLynwoodLynwood

The short answer

Lynwood is home to 9,083 people. Median household income is $85,237 a year and median rent is $1,368 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 $218,000, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Lynwood stands out on how people work. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 320 hours a year commuting, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 321 Illinois places we track. Also notable: Homeowners pay a median of about 3.2% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 99% of places its size.

37OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Below average

Lynwood scores better than 37% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 263rd of 335 in Illinois.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%74
Economy 20%45
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%30
Education 10%49
Commute 10%0
Growth 5%58

Not rated: safety, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,368
0% above the median place
Median household income
$85,237
6% above the median place
Median home value
$218,000
32% below the median place
Unemployment
5.7%
17% 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 Lynwood

  • How it is changingRent rose 8.4% a year while household income rose 5% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 80% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Lynwood

Cook County loses about 10.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in120,387
Moved out162,651
Net−42,264

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

DuPage County, IL12,39919,059−6,660
Will County, IL7,54812,890−5,342
Lake County, IL7,32311,713−4,390
Lake County, IN4,7308,061−3,331
Kane County, IL4,2357,041−2,806
McHenry County, IL1,8464,112−2,266
Los Angeles County, CA2,0592,538−479
Maricopa County, AZ1,6782,643−965

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$85K
Leavers$118K

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

Who moves here
3.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.8% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cook County report $85,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $117,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$54,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,368 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,117 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $218,000.
Getting to work
50 minutes each way on average; 15.6% work from home; 11.8% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Danville, IN matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-10.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out8
$117,738
68% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.5%
39% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.5%39% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.8%10% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-10.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$85,47021% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$117,73868% above
02

What it costs to live here

Compared with the 23 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Island Lake, IL, Danville, IN and Harrison, OH), money left after rent here is lower: $67,600 against a typical $82,400.

Lynwood19.3%
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
$54,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.3%
5% below the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
33% 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
$67,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lynwood, $1,368 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lynwood, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lynwood on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Danville, IN9814.2% vs 19.3%$18,200Compare
Harrison, OH9713.8% vs 19.3%$21,300Compare
Groveport, OH9713.9% vs 19.3%$15,500Compare
Taneytown, MD9714.5% vs 19.3%$6,100Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lynwood? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
3.2%
252% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
38.0%
25% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$6,966
113% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3680% above
Rent to income119.3%5% below
Property tax rate13.2%252% above
Home price to income12.6x33% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.63% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,01125% above
HUD area median income4County figure$121,50013% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,966113% above
Median home value1$218,00032% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.5%73% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure41.6%19% below
Homeownership175.0%13% above
Renters paying 30%+138.0%25% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,11713% above
Vacant homes1County figure7.7%10% above
Median year built119891% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 50 min, 99% above the median place.

Mean commute1
50 min
99% above the median place
Unemployment1
5.7%
17% above the median place
Works from home1
15.6%
25% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$85,2376% above
Income per person1$39,1202% below
Unemployment15.7%17% above
Average annual pay6County figure$90,47737% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs6County figure2,594,810above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate1County figure13.5%25% above
Mean commute150 min99% above
Works from home115.6%25% above
Commutes by transit1County figure11.8%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 4.2%, 34% below the median place.

No health insurance1
4.2%
34% below the median place
Household size1
2.7
7% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
93.5%
1% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age39.4 +1%
High school or higher92.6% +0%
Bachelor's or higher31.4% −2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19,0834451st largest
Population change since 202072.0%70% above
Median age139.41% above
Bachelor's or higher131.4%2% below
High school or higher192.6%0% above
Household size12.77% above
Born abroad1County figure21.8%146% above
No health insurance14.2%34% below
Homes with broadband193.5%1% above
05

Life in Lynwood

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 84% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 335 Illinois places we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1959. 623 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 57 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents6.6 −35%
Playgrounds per 10k8.8 −6%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k2.2 2.5×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.9 9.3×

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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Pullman National Historical Park 12 miles
  • Indiana Dunes National Park 25 miles
  • North Country Trail 150 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.6 +13%
Shops26.2 −14%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.4 +7%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.6 +17%
Child care centers3.2 +39%

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

Public schools13
1
89% below the median place
Public school students13
423
91% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site11
12.4
60% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13189% below
Public school students1342391% below
Students per teacher1316.910% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure23.613% above
Shops per 10k9County figure26.214% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure23.617% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.239% above
Parks per 10k106.635% below
Playgrounds per 10k108.86% below
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k102.2153% above
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi101.9above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1112.460% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1120% above
National Register listings12County figure623above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 100.0, 23% above 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 Lynwood. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk15
100.0
23% above the median place
Heat wave risk15
99.8
11% above the median place
Natural hazard risk15
100.0
8% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLynwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure84°F4% below
January average low14County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature14County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation14County figure38.3 in13% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure100.08% above
Hurricane risk15County figure48.931% below
Tornado risk15County figure100.023% above
Wildfire risk15County figure55.89% below
Heat wave risk15County figure99.811% above
Median air quality index16County figure5323% above
Good air days16County figure40.8%40% below
08

Lynwood in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 20% of the median income in 2030, up from 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Lynwood does better than 71% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 53%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,368/mo (2024)$1,780/mo$1,460 to $2,170/mo+4.5%
Median household income$85,237 (2024)$107,000$90,500 to $126,500+3.9%
Median home value$218,000 (2024)$313,000$227,000 to $431,000+6.2%
Population9,297 (2025)9,5009,110 to 9,900+0.4%

The median home would be worth 2.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.6 now.

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

09

Places like Lynwood

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

PlaceRentIncome
Pleasant Garden, NC$1,416$88,204Compare
Rotterdam, NY$1,278$85,887Compare
Emmaus, PA$1,389$83,917Compare
Walkertown, NC$1,379$82,615Compare
Walkertown, NCEmmaus, PARotterdam, NYPleasant Garden, NCLynwood, ILLynwoodPleasant GardenRotterdamEmmausWalkertownLynwoodPleasant GardenRotterdamEmmausWalkertown

Places built like Lynwood

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lynwood performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lynwood, IL19.3%5.0%/yr2.0%
Island Lake, IL21.8%4.4%/yr-0.1%Compare
Danville, IN14.2%4.5%/yr25.9%Compare
Harrison, OH13.8%10.1%/yr9.8%Compare
Groveport, OH13.9%6.9%/yr-3.2%Compare
Pendleton, IN16.7%5.5%/yr25.4%Compare
Wauconda, IL14.8%6.5%/yr-0.7%Compare

Common questions

Is Lynwood a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 37 out of 100, better than 37% of the places we rate and 263rd of 335 in Illinois. Rent rose 8.4% a year while household income rose 5% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 80% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 78 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lynwood 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 $218,000.

What salary do you need to live in Lynwood?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $54,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lynwood?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Pleasant Garden, NC, Rotterdam, NY, Emmaus, PA and Walkertown, NC.

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. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 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
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

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

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

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