Where does your suburb rank in best places in Illinois to raise a family?
Morton, Illinois ranks #1, East St. Louis is dead last and many suburbs made the top 25, in Wallet Hub's annual rankings of best Illinois towns in which to raise a family.
Released Wednesday, and available at wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-families-in-illinois/18426/ the study uses 21 metrics, including median family incomes, quality of schools, number of playgrounds, high school graduation rate, violent crime rate, divorce rate, unemployment rate and the percentage of families living below the poverty level to rank 162 Illinois communities.
Overall, Deerfield ranks #2. Other suburbs in the top 25 are: 4. Libertyville; 6. Hinsdale; 7. Cary; 8. Lake in the Hills; 10. Naperville; 11. Yorkville; 13. Elmhurst; 14. Oswego; 15. Lake Zurich; 16. Batavia; 17. Lake Forest; 18. Glen Ellyn; 20. Grayslake; 22. Algonquin; 23. Bartlett and 25. Montgomery.
Suburbs that rank between 26 and 50 are, in order, Wilmette, Vernon Hills, St. Charles, New Lenox, Wheaton, Buffalo Grove, Crystal Lake, Plainfield, Northbrook, South Elgin, Glenview, Geneva, Woodridge, Oak Park, Carol Stream, Highland Park, Lemont, Huntley, Gurnee and Mundelein.
Suburbs that rank between 51 and 75 are, in order, Downers Grove, Round Lake, Oak Forest, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Roselle, Park Ridge, Hanover Park, North Aurora, Hoffman Estates, McHenry, Woodstock, Mount Prospect, Brookfield, West Chicago, Orland Park, Sycamore, Round Lake Beach.
Suburbs between 76 and 100, in order, are Schaumburg, Streamwood, Bolingbrook, Darien, Rolling Meadows, Evanston, Tinley Park, Homewood, Villa Park, Lombard, Elk Grove Village, Lisle, Romeoville, Aurora, Carpentersville.
Between 101 and 125 are, in order, Westmont, Morton Grove, Evergreen Park, Westchester, Elgin, Des Plaines, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills.
Suburbs between 126 and 162, in order, are: Addison, Skokie, Crest Hill, Alsip, Elmwood Park, Zion, Park Forest, Niles, South Holland, Berwyn, Melrose Park, Waukegan, Franklin Park, Cicero, Bensenville, Bellwood, Lansing, North Chicago, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Chicago, Calumet City, Bridgeview, Blue Island, Maywood, Dolton and Harvey.