Crest Hill vs Brooklyn Center

Which is the better fit for you?

Crest Hill, IL
51
Area Score
Bottom 23% nationally
Brooklyn Center, MN
49
Area Score
Bottom 18% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Crest Hill receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Crest Hill to Brooklyn Center

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
2% higher
Regional price level 104.3 against 102.5 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$79 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,709 in Brooklyn Center against $1,630 in Crest Hill.
The median home
18% more
$274,300 in Brooklyn Center against $232,900 in Crest Hill.
The weather you would swap
Winters 8°F colder
Normal January lows are 7°F in Brooklyn Center against 15°F in Crest Hill; July highs are 83°F against 84°F (summers 1°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

36 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Crest Hill
Brooklyn Center
Opportunity: Crest Hill is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
35 · Bottom 11%
vs
29 · Bottom 5%
Growth: Brooklyn Center is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
10 · Bottom 1%
vs
12 · Bottom 2%
Climate: Crest Hill is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
59 · Bottom 12%
vs
54 · Bottom 3%
Physical resilience: Brooklyn Center is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
83 · Top 19%
vs
93 · Top 7%
Housing affordability: Crest Hill is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
75 · Top 26%
vs
71 · Top 38%
Schools: Crest Hill is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
31 · Bottom 27%
vs
17 · Bottom 9%
Access: Brooklyn Center is the more favorable of the two.
Access
86 · Bottom 29%
vs
94 · Top 42%
Economic stability: Brooklyn Center is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
50 · Bottom 35%
vs
59 · Top 49%

Measured values

MetricCrest HillBrooklyn CenterSource period
Population20,62832,4792024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$73,033 ±$2,592$72,535 ±$3,7072024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$35,379 — more favorable$30,5552024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,298/sq mi4,058/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$232,900$274,3002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,481$1,376 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,630 — more favorable$1,709FY2026
Cost of living index102.5 — more favorable104.32023
Homeownership rate67.3%63.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.9% — more favorable5.7%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−3.2%−2.1% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate23.9% ±3%24.6% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.8% ±4%11.4% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)0012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.00.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−100.0%−14.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low15°F7°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation33.8"30.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport30 mi14 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute29.5 min23.9 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.133.52024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools4262024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.312.5 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency19.5%26.4%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency30.7%29.0%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility62.7%77.5%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Illinois and Minnesota do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Crest Hill

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Brooklyn Center

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Crest Hill
—
Crest Hill: Your Score
51
Area Score
Brooklyn Center
—
Brooklyn Center: Your Score
49
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Crest Hill, IL · Brooklyn Center, MN · How this is calculated: methodology