Moving to Chicagoland
Moving into Chicagoland means planning around O'Hare International Airport's real scale, a genuinely substantial CTA/Metra transit network relative to most other regions in this project, Illinois's real flat state income tax, and a combined Chicago sales tax rate among the highest of any major US city.
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Learn moreO'Hare, Midway, and a Genuinely Substantial Transit Network
O'Hare International Airport (ORD) was the world's busiest airport by aircraft operations in 2025 (860,015 operations, 84.8 million passengers), with Midway (MDW) as a real, substantial secondary airport. Chicago's CTA ('L' rail plus extensive bus network) and Metra commuter rail give this region genuinely more substantial public transit than most Sunbelt or other Midwest metros in this project's coverage, though 2026 ridership still runs below pre-pandemic levels -- movers who want car-optional living have real options here, concentrated most heavily in and near the city and along Metra lines into towns like Evanston, Naperville, and the Fox Valley Tri-Cities.
Illinois's Flat Income Tax and Chicago's High Sales Tax
Illinois levies a real, flat 4.95% state income tax -- a single rate applying regardless of income level, genuinely different from Ohio's own recently flattened but still-exemption-threshold system. Within Chicago proper specifically, the combined sales tax rate runs approximately 10.25% (6.25% state + 1.75% city + 1.25% Cook County + 1% RTA transit surcharge) -- among the highest combined sales tax rates of any major US city, a real, practical cost-of-living factor beyond housing and income tax.
A Genuinely Active Severe-Weather Season
Illinois experienced one of its most active tornado seasons on record in 2026 (more than 200 confirmed tornadoes statewide, the second state ever after Texas to hit that mark in a single year), plus a real, damaging derecho that swept northern Illinois on August 11, 2026 with 70-to-100+ mph straight-line winds. This is a real, current, still-developing severe-weather pattern affecting the entire Chicagoland region, not a purely historical risk category.
Key takeaways
- O'Hare (ORD) was the world's busiest airport by aircraft operations in 2025; Chicago's CTA and Metra give this region genuinely substantial transit access relative to most other regions in this project.
- Illinois's flat 4.95% state income tax applies statewide; Chicago's combined sales tax (~10.25%) is among the highest of any major US city.
- 2026 was one of Illinois's most active tornado seasons on record (200+ confirmed tornadoes statewide), plus a real, damaging August 2026 derecho -- a current, still-developing severe-weather pattern, not a purely historical risk.
- Car-optional living is a genuine option here, concentrated in and near Chicago and along Metra lines into towns like Evanston, Naperville, and the Fox Valley Tri-Cities.
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