CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.35° N · 88.84° W · GEOID 1761145

Poplar Grove

Boone County, Illinois · part of the Rockford, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IllinoisPoplar Grove, ILPoplar GrovePoplar Grove

The short answer

Poplar Grove is home to 3,923 people. Median household income is $120,278 a year and median rent is $1,395 a month, 13.9% 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 $270,700, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,395
2% above the median place
Median household income
$120,278
50% above the median place
Median home value
$270,700
15% below the median place
Unemployment
7.4%
51% 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 Poplar Grove

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 9.7% a year while rent rose -3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 335 Illinois places.
  • 93% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 93% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 2002, newer housing than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.3 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 91% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 13.9% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 89% of places its size.
01

Moving to Poplar Grove

Boone County gains about 0.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,680
Moved out2,671
Net+9

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$67K
Leavers$70K

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

Who moves here
7.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Boone County report $67,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $70,000.
Income you would need
$55,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,395 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,807 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $270,700.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 9.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Orland Hills, IL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Moved here in the past year1
7.5%
30% above the median place
Income of households moving in8
$67,459
4% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.5%30% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure0.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$67,4594% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$69,9750% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 92.6%, 39% above the median place.

Poplar Grove13.9%
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
$55,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.9%
32% below the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
41% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$106,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Poplar Grove, $1,395 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.7 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Poplar Grove, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Broussard, LA10.4% vs 13.9%$4,800Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Poplar Grove? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
92.6%
39% above the median place
Property tax rate1
2.2%
142% above the median place
Median year built1
2002
1% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3952% above
Rent to income113.9%32% below
Property tax rate12.2%142% above
Home price to income12.3x41% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.29% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,17227% below
HUD area median income4County figure$89,40017% below
Property tax paid (median)1$5,94982% above
Median home value1$270,70015% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure7.6%139% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure59.2%15% above
Homeownership192.6%39% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure45.5%10% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8073% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.1%42% below
Median year built120021% 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%)
Median household income1
$120,278
50% above the median place
Mean commute1
29 min
16% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$120,27850% above
Income per person1$39,6061% below
Unemployment1County figure7.4%51% above
Average annual pay6County figure$57,25513% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.3%11% below
Jobs6County figure11,31092% below
Poverty rate1County figure9.9%8% below
Mean commute129 min16% above
Works from home1County figure9.6%23% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 2.9, 14% above the median place.

Household size1
2.9
14% above the median place
Born abroad1
4.1%
54% below the median place
Median age1
36.5
6% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband90.7% −2%
High school or higher93.7% +2%
Bachelor's or higher31.1% −3%
All 9 people measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,9236646th largest
Population change since 202072.9%150% above
Median age136.56% below
Bachelor's or higher131.1%3% below
High school or higher193.7%2% above
Household size12.914% above
Born abroad14.1%54% below
No health insurance1County figure5.6%13% below
Homes with broadband190.7%2% below
05

Life in Poplar Grove

6 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents7.7 −25%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k2.5 +20%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.1 −54%
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 bars14.7 −29%
Shops17.8 −41%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.7 +15%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.1 −50%
Child care centers1.1 −52%

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

Public school students12
1,308
73% below the median place
Public schools12
5
44% below the median place
Students per teacher12
13.6
12% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12544% below
Public school students121,30873% below
Students per teacher1213.612% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure14.729% below
Shops per 10k9County figure17.841% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.715% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure10.150% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.152% below
Parks per 10k107.725% below
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k102.520% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k105.154% below
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure654% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 8.3, 86% 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 Poplar Grove. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
8.3
86% below the median place
Hurricane risk14
8.8
87% below the median place
January average low13
13°F
48% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePoplar GroveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F4% below
January average low13County figure13°F48% below
Average temperature13County figure48°F12% below
Annual precipitation13County figure37.4 in15% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure57.438% below
Hurricane risk14County figure8.887% below
Tornado risk14County figure77.65% below
Wildfire risk14County figure8.386% below
Heat wave risk14County figure46.848% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure407% below
Good air days15Metro figure68.7%0% above
08

Poplar Grove in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, down from 14% 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$1,395/mo (2024)$1,720/mo$1,410 to $2,090/mo+3.5%
Median household income$120,278 (2024)$155,000$131,000 to $183,000+4.3%
Median home value$270,700 (2024)$399,000$290,000 to $550,000+6.7%
Population5,206 (2025)5,3205,100 to 5,550+0.4%

The median home would be worth 2.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

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

09

Places like Poplar Grove

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

PlaceRentIncome
Orland Hills, IL$1,359$122,039Compare
Burlington, KY$1,489$109,308Compare
Folsom, PA$1,540$113,064Compare
Wauconda, IL$1,371$111,239Compare
Wauconda, ILFolsom, PABurlington, KYOrland Hills, ILPoplar Grove, ILPoplar GroveBurlingtonFolsomWaucondaPoplar GroveBurlingtonFolsomWauconda

Common questions

Is Poplar Grove a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 9.7% a year while rent rose -3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 335 Illinois places. 93% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 93% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 100 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Poplar Grove expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.9% 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 $270,700.

What salary do you need to live in Poplar Grove?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $55,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Poplar Grove?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Orland Hills, IL, Burlington, KY, Folsom, PA and Wauconda, 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. 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 Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Poplar Grove with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Poplar Grove itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/poplar-grove-illinois

Citytistics. “Poplar Grove, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/poplar-grove-illinois/

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