Every year, hundreds of fresh faces migrate to
Chicago in search of new adventures. Why? For one, the city is perfect for the young and young at heart—it’s
bikeable, it’s
pet friendly, and there tons of job opportunities.
And it’s not just the city itself, either—believe it or not, the suburbs are pretty great places to work and play as well.
Of course there are some places near Chicago that are better suited for young professionals than others. Don’t worry, we’ve taken the work out of it for you—these are the 10 best Chicago suburbs for young professionals:
1. Lisle
2. Mokena
3. Round Lake
4. Woodridge
5. Tinley Park
6. Palatine
7. Lombard
8. Buffalo Grove
9. Evanston
10. Lake Villa
We came up with these rankings by looking at all of the places near Chicago in terms of the following criteria:
- Unemployment rate
- Percent of residents aged 22-29
- Percent of residents with a bachelor’s degree
- Median earnings for those with a bachelor’s degree
- Percent of residents who work in management, business, financial, or other professional fields
- Cost of living (the lower the better)
A whole lot of number crunching later, we wound up with our top 10 suburbs. We’ll talk more about our methodology later, though. First, let’s take a look at just why these 10 ‘burbs were better than the rest.
1. Lisle
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 15.01 percent
- Residents with a bachelor’s degree: 32.7 percent
- Median earnings of bachelor’s degree holders: $63,291
This village of about 23,000 residents is dotted with things to do for young folks like yourself, from the Museums at Lisle Station Park to the French Market at PrairieWalk Pond.
There are festivals like the Downtown Block Party and the Hot Air Balloon Festival throughout the year, there are four-star restaurants, and perhaps best of all for younger residents, well, there are already tons of younger residents!
Plus, it’s cheaper than living in Chicago and only a quick drive away.
2. Mokena
Key Stats:
- Median earnings of bachelor’s degree holders: $64,984
- Cost of living: 111, compared to the Chicago average of 116
- Unemployment rate: 7.65 percent
The Village of Mokena is an up and coming place perfect for up and comers either newly out of school or freshly back on the job market. Not only does it have one of the lower unemployment rates outside of Chicago, but the combination of a high salary and a low cost of living makes this place super affordable.
Sure, the cost of living is higher than the Illinois average of 99, but for the Chicago area, a score of 111 is really pretty good.
3. Round Lake
Key Stats:
- Median earnings of bachelor’s degree holders: $66,360
- Unemployment rate: 6.36 percent
This is a charming community all about just that—community. There are festivals throughout the year like the Christmas Tree Lighting and the National Night Out, a summer event where you pretty much just go party with the rest of the town, eat hot dogs, and enjoy the late summer weather.
But young people, don’t get too excited—this event, like the rest of the community, is more family-oriented. If you’re looking for some less family-friendly fun, you might want to head to Chicago.
4. Woodridge
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 12 percent
- Cost of living: 106, compared to the Chicago average of 116
Woodridge is one of the most exciting suburbs of Chicago, with a bustling young community, about 60 restaurants to choose from, three golf courses, and a festival or event going on more days than not.
It’s also one of the most affordable suburbs of Chicago, with a cost of living of 106 compared to Chicago’s 116. Sure, it’s a little more than the Illinois average of 99, but you get what you pay for—and in this case, that’s being close to Chicago.
5. Tinley Park
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 10.88 percent
- Cost of living: 102, compared to the Chicago average of 116
- Unemployment rate: 7.5 percent
Remember how we said Woodridge was affordable? That was nothing compared to Tinley Park. It has one of the lowest costs of living around—almost as low as the rest of the places in Illinois that aren’t lucky enough to be neighbors with Chicago.
These low prices plus the availability of jobs may be a big reason the community has such a high percentage of residents between 22 and 29.
And Tribes Alehouse and Grill. That probably has something to do with it too.
6. Palatine
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 11.05 percent
- Unemployment rate: 7.61 percent
Kids, move to Palatine and you could grow up to be like Ted Nugent! Just kidding, though—fun fact!—the musician did do some grow up here.
More realistically, if you move to Palatine after college you’ll probably A) be glad to be surrounded by so many other young people B) be well employed, and C) be a little broke. See, Palatine’s cost of living is even more than that of Chicago—it’s a 122.
But hey, at least there’s Streetfest!
7. Lombard
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 11.46 percent
- Residents with a bachelor’s degree: 27.23 percent
This village is about as postcard perfect as it gets. It’s called the Lilac Village because each year in May, Lilacia Park essentially turns into Fantasia when lilac bushes, nearly 100,000 tulips, and other spring flowers bloom. There is, of course, a giant parade in honor of these beautiful flowers, and that’s just one of many events throughout the year.
Other events include Taste of Lombard, a Fourth of July fireworks festival, the holiday tree lighting, and you know, the entire historical downtown district, which is kind of an event in itself.
The fact that there’s also a young and well-educated population here is just the cherry on top.
8. Buffalo Grove
Key Stats:
- Residents with professional occupations: 57.99 percent
- Residents with a bachelor’s degree: 36.07 percent
- Unemployment rate: 6.52 percent
There’s a reason Buffalo Grove was recently named one of “Money Magazine”’s “best places to live.” Well, several, actually. Especially for young professionals.
First of all, there are tons of other young professionals in Buffalo Grove already—a ready made group of peers just waiting for you to join them. The community itself is very business-oriented, with a seemingly endless number of business parks. Really, it’s no wonder the unemployment rate is so low.
But don’t worry young professionals, Buffalo Grove also has plenty fun—especially if you’re into art. There’s a museum, a summer arts festival, and a Community Arts Center.
9. Evanston
Key Stats:
- Residents age 22-29: 12.38 percent
- Residents with professional occupations: 61.77 percent
Evanston may be a suburb of Chicago, but don’t let that fool you—this is an exciting city in its own right. It has some of the most young and professional residents around, plus, a whole lot more going on outside of the work world.
There’s arts, culture, dining out, and more festivals and events than you can count on all your fingers and toes. The only problem here is, the cost of living is a 132. That’s 33 points higher than Illinois’ average and a good 16 points higher than Chicago’s.
10. Lake Villa
Key Stats:
- Residents with a bachelor’s degree: 32.71 percent
- Median earnings of bachelor’s degree holders: $66,425
Lake Villa may have less than 9,000 residents, but that’s just a part of its charm. Think about it: it’s a small, quiet community where residents are brought together with events throughout the year, like the Memorial Day Parade and the Celebration of Summer, just to name a couple.
There are parks, hiking trails, beaches, and of course, well-paid and well-educated residents.
And best of all, when you do need a little less peace and quiet, and a little more action, Chicago is just a quick commute away.
Success In The Suburbs
We all know Chicago itself is awesome—but we also know that it can be expensive and competitive, especially for those relatively new to the workforce.
That’s where the ‘burbs come in.
Not all Chicago suburbs are created equal, of course, and so with some careful analysis, we determined the top 10.
Now, let’s get to that analysis.
Our Methodology
We started by gathering up a list of all the places outside of Chicago with populations of 5,000 people or more. Then, with the help of
AreaVibes and the
U.S. Census, we researched each place in terms of the following criteria:
- Unemployment rate
- Percent of residents aged 22-29
- Percent of residents with a bachelor’s degree
- Median earnings for those with a bachelor’s degree
- Percent of residents who work in management, business, financial, or other professional fields
- Cost of living
Once we eliminated any places that didn’t have complete data, we were left with a whopping 106 Chicago suburbs. We ranked all of these places with scores from one to 106 in each category.
Then we weighted these scores so that the “residents between 22-29” category made up 30 percent of our overall score, the “cost of living” and “median earnings” categories made up 20 percent, and the rest made up 10 percent each.
Finally, we averaged all of these weighted scores into one overall
Big Deal Score, where the 10 lowest scores went to our 10 best suburbs for young professionals.
To see a more complete list of our rankings, just take a look at the table below.
Do you know the Chicago area? Tell us which suburb you like the best in the comments below! 
