Round Lake Beach vs Echelon

Which is the better fit for you?

Round Lake Beach, IL
65
Area Score
Top 27% nationally
Echelon, NJ
67
Area Score
Top 21% nationally

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

Echelon 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 Round Lake Beach to Echelon

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 102.4 against 102.5 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$320 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,230 in Echelon against $1,910 in Round Lake Beach.
The median home
65% more
$328,600 in Echelon against $199,200 in Round Lake Beach.
The weather you would swap
Winters 9°F milder
Normal January lows are 25°F in Echelon against 16°F in Round Lake Beach; July highs are 87°F against 81°F (summers 6°F hotter).

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.

35 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

Round Lake Beach
Echelon
Opportunity: Round Lake Beach is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
66 · Top 31%
vs
64 · Top 33%
Growth: Round Lake Beach is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
45 · Bottom 38%
vs
40 · Bottom 28%
Climate: Echelon is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
60 · Bottom 15%
vs
70 · Bottom 48%
Physical resilience: Round Lake Beach is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
80 · Top 23%
vs
77 · Top 28%
Housing affordability: Echelon is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
63 · Bottom 41%
vs
68 · Top 46%
Schools: Echelon is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
69 · Top 25%
vs
74 · Top 19%
Access: Echelon is the more favorable of the two.
Access
85 · Bottom 27%
vs
97 · Top 24%
Economic stability: Echelon is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
59 · Top 49%
vs
66 · Top 33%

Measured values

MetricRound Lake BeachEchelonSource period
Population27,07913,2842024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$86,059 ±$12,585$82,932 ±$15,7092024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$33,191$43,875 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,366/sq mi4,749/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$199,200$328,6002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,543 — more favorable$1,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,910 — more favorable$2,230FY2026
Cost of living index102.5102.4 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate79.3%36.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.6% — more favorable5.1%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.5%+2.1% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher16.2%53.6% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate14.6% ±4%9.7% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)375912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.11.4 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+50.0%−27.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high81°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low16°F25°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation35.3"42.8"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport29 mi13 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate33.1 min ±1.6 min31.9 min ±2.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age33.836.42024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher12.911.9 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency42.9%55.9%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency45.8%68.8%2018-19 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 New Jersey 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.

Your best match

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

Round Lake Beach
—
Round Lake Beach: Your Score
65
Area Score
Echelon
—
Echelon: Your Score
67
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Round Lake Beach, IL · Echelon, NJ · How this is calculated: methodology