Crystal Lake vs Lake in the Hills
Crystal Lake, Illinois versus Lake in the Hills, Illinois: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills score about the same overall (46 vs 47 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Crystal Lake | Lake in the Hills |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $103k | $111k |
| Cost of Living | $61k | $61k |
| Home Value | $271k | $280k |
| Monthly Rent | $1k | $2k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $2k | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | 2.74% | 2.62% |
| Income Tax | 5.00% | 5.00% |
| Sales Tax | 8.86% | 8.86% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 15.14% | 14.53% |
| Unemployment | 4.9% | 5.6% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 25°F | 25°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 75°F | 75°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 39.4 in | 39.6 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 35.1 in | 35.1 in |
| Sunny Days | 245 days | 245 days |
| Summer Humidity | 63°F | 63°F |
| Comfortable Days | 95 days | 95 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 61.1 | 44.0 |
| Air Quality | 53 AQI | 53 AQI |
| School Quality | 93.1 | 72.4 |
| Violent Crime | 770/100k | 559/100k |
| Property Crime | 569/100k | 290/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 40,463 | 28,958 |
| Median Age | 39.9 | 35.9 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.21 | 0.37 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.97 | 0.98 |
| Political Leaning | Even | Even |
| White (%) | 81.5% | 72.1% |
| Black (%) | 0.9% | 2.8% |
| Hispanic (%) | 11.5% | 15.6% |
| Asian (%) | 3.6% | 7.0% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 30 min | 34 min |
| Walkability | 9.3/20 | 7.9/20 |
| Airport Distance | 29 mi | 27 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 94.9% | 97.0% |
| Amenities Nearby | 46.22 | 91.51 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Excellent |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Crystal Lake or Lake in the Hills more affordable?
- Lake in the Hills has the lower cost of living: its index is $61k, compared with Crystal Lake's $61k and Lake in the Hills's $61k. Median rent is $1k in Crystal Lake versus $2k in Lake in the Hills.
- Is Crystal Lake or Lake in the Hills safer?
- Lake in the Hills has the lower violent crime rate. Crystal Lake reports 770/100k and Lake in the Hills reports 559/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Crystal Lake or Lake in the Hills?
- The median home value is $271k in Crystal Lake and $280k in Lake in the Hills, so homes are more affordable in Crystal Lake.