Living in Waukegan, IL

Lake County

Waukegan is the county seat of Lake County and a genuine Lake Michigan lakefront city -- but this record discloses honestly that Waukegan's affordability and demographic profile runs substantially different from its wealthier North Shore neighbors, Highland Park and Lake Forest: Waukegan's median household income ($71,919) and median home value (approximately $190,900) both run genuinely, substantially below those communities, and Waukegan is a real, majority Hispanic/Latino city (57.9% of residents) with a disclosed poverty rate of 15.28%. This is a genuinely distinct, more working-class Lake County identity, not a discount version of North Shore affluence, and this record states that contrast plainly rather than letting shared lakefront geography imply shared wealth. Waukegan's real cost advantage is genuine and substantial: a median home value running roughly 57% of the national average, rent genuinely below the national average, and -- distinct from every Cook County suburb documented elsewhere in this project's Illinois buildout -- a genuinely lower combined sales tax rate (approximately 8.5%, versus 10%+ in Schaumburg, Evanston, and Oak Park). Waukegan's own property tax rate still runs elevated (approximately 2.89% effective), a real cost this record does not omit despite the city's lower home values. Waukegan carries a real, distinct cultural identity: Ray Bradbury was born here and fictionalized the city as 'Green Town' in Dandelion Wine; a Jack Benny statue faces the restored Genesee Theatre downtown; and Naval Station Great Lakes, the US Navy's only enlisted boot camp, sits a real 5 miles away with a direct Metra connection. This record also discloses Waukegan's real, substantial challenges directly: Waukegan CUSD 60's graduation rate (78%) and proficiency scores run well below Illinois's own statewide averages, and the city's overall crime rate runs higher than approximately 87% of Illinois communities -- though a real, disclosed 21% crime-rate improvement in 2025 versus 2024 is a genuine, positive recent trend this record does not omit either.

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Housing

Median sale priceNot yet verified

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate2.89%

Not independently sourced at the Lake 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 Waukegan-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, substantial housing-affordability advantage (median value roughly $190,900, about 57% of the national average) genuinely distinct from Waukegan's wealthier North Shore neighbors; a genuinely lower combined sales tax rate (approximately 8.5%) than every Cook County Illinois Tier A suburb documented in this project; a real, direct Metra connection to Naval Station Great Lakes, a genuine draw for military-affiliated households; a real, distinct cultural heritage (Ray Bradbury's birthplace and literary inspiration, the Jack Benny/Genesee Theatre history); a genuine Lake Michigan lakefront setting with active downtown redevelopment underway; and Illinois's real exemption of retirement income from state tax.

Cons

A real, elevated property tax rate (approximately 2.89% effective) despite Waukegan's genuinely lower home values, producing a real annual tax bill above the national median; a real, substantial, and honestly disclosed set of academic challenges at Waukegan CUSD 60 (a 78% graduation rate and proficiency scores well below Illinois's own statewide averages); an overall crime rate running higher than approximately 87% of Illinois communities, driven meaningfully by violent crime specifically rather than property crime; a real, substantially lower median household income than Waukegan's North Shore neighbors, a genuine affordability-vs-affluence tradeoff this record does not blur; and Illinois's real, statewide severe-weather insurance-cost pressures (see illinois.js).

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits affordability-focused buyers and first-time homebuyers prioritizing Waukegan's genuinely low home values and lower combined sales tax rate over North Shore prestige; military families and Navy-affiliated households drawn to Waukegan's real, direct Metra connection to Naval Station Great Lakes; and movers specifically interested in Waukegan's own distinct cultural and lakefront identity -- its Bradbury/Jack Benny heritage and its ongoing downtown-and-lakefront redevelopment -- rather than a search for North Shore-equivalent affluence at a discount.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for families whose top relocation priority is public school academic performance, given CUSD 60's real, disclosed graduation-rate and proficiency-score gap versus Illinois's own statewide averages; anyone assuming Waukegan's lower home values imply a correspondingly low property tax bill, given the city's real, elevated effective rate; anyone prioritizing the lowest available Lake County crime statistics, given Waukegan's real, disclosed elevated rate (even with 2025's genuine, disclosed improvement); and anyone specifically seeking Highland Park's or Lake Forest's North Shore affluence and expecting to find an equivalent, lower-priced version of it in Waukegan -- the two are genuinely, honestly different Lake County identities.

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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.