Living in Joliet, IL

Will County

Joliet is a genuine Chicago southwest exurb and, per the 2020 Census, Illinois's third-largest city (150,362 residents) -- though this record discloses a real, more recent development rather than repeating an outdated ranking: Joliet has since been surpassed by Naperville and is now Illinois's fourth-largest city by current estimate, even as Joliet's own population has continued to grow modestly to roughly 151,837. Joliet's economy runs on a real, genuinely large-scale logistics-and-warehousing base: the CenterPoint Intermodal Center is described as the largest inland port in the United States, anchoring distribution operations for Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target, Mars, ExxonMobil, and Whirlpool, alongside a real casino industry (Harrah's, Hollywood Casino) and area hospitals among the city's other largest employers. Joliet's housing runs genuinely more affordable than the national figure by most measures reviewed this pass (a typical home value around $255,981, per Zillow, amid a real, disclosed cross-source spread from $233,800 to $305,000), but that affordability sits alongside a real, meaningfully elevated local property-tax rate (2.70% median effective rate, above Illinois's own 1.88% statewide figure) inside a Will County that carries one of the nation's highest median property tax bills. Joliet's crime picture is genuinely two-sided: the city's overall rate runs above the national average across all community sizes, yet runs safer than most comparably sized US cities specifically, with real, disclosed geographic unevenness between Joliet's East Side/downtown core and its separately incorporated, generally safer neighbors Shorewood and Plainfield. Joliet also carries a real, distinct historic-tourism identity via the Old Joliet Prison (now open for public tours) and a real, sourced connection to the devastating August 28, 1990 Plainfield-Joliet F5 tornado -- the only F5 tornado ever to strike the Chicago metropolitan area -- a genuine local hazard history this record treats as directly relevant alongside Illinois's separate, real, current 2026 statewide tornado record (see illinois.js).

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Housing

Median sale price$255,981

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate2.70%

Not independently sourced at the Will County level this session. Illinois's top state income tax rate is 4.95%. See the Illinois hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Joliet-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely affordable housing relative to the national figure and to Chicago's own pricier suburbs; a real, large-scale, currently-growing logistics and warehousing job base anchored by the CenterPoint Intermodal Center (the largest inland port in the US) and major national employers (Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target, Mars); a real crime profile that, while elevated against the national average overall, runs safer than most comparably sized US cities specifically; genuine proximity to Chicago as a real exurb; a real, distinct historic-tourism draw via the Old Joliet Prison; and Illinois's statewide retirement-income tax exemption (see illinois.js) layered on top of Joliet's own local affordability.

Cons

A real, meaningfully elevated local effective property-tax rate (2.70%) inside a Will County carrying one of the nation's highest median property tax bills; real, disclosed geographic unevenness in crime between Joliet's East Side/downtown core and its safer surrounding suburbs; a split elementary/high-school district structure (Districts 86 and 204) worth researching carefully by address; and a real, sourced local tornado history (the 1990 Plainfield-Joliet F5) layered on top of Illinois's separate, current, record 2026 statewide tornado season.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits affordability-focused buyers and families drawn to genuine Chicago-metro proximity without Chicago's own housing costs, movers with a specific logistics, warehousing, or distribution-sector career opportunity given the CenterPoint Intermodal Center's real scale, and anyone prioritizing Illinois's real, statewide retirement-income tax exemption (see illinois.js) alongside Joliet's own local affordability.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers prioritizing the lowest available property tax burden, given Joliet's own elevated rate inside a Will County that already carries one of the nation's highest median property tax bills; anyone assuming Joliet's overall crime statistics tell the whole story without researching the real, disclosed geographic unevenness within the city; and anyone assuming a single school district covers Joliet's public education, given the real, separate elementary (District 86) and high school (District 204) district structure worth confirming by specific address.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.