Gurnee, Illinois

Area Profile

30,510 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Gurnee, in Lake County.

66out of 100
Area Score
Top 30% of 2,943 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sources
OpportunityTop 37% of 3,899 cities measured62
Schools2,128th of 2,668 cities measured28
GrowthTop 47% of 2,973 cities measured52
Housing affordabilityTop 8% of 4,147 cities measured100
Climate3,581st of 4,223 cities measured60
Physical resilienceTop 23% of 4,182 cities measured80
Access2,775th of 4,226 cities measured87
Economic stabilityTop 9% of 4,226 cities measured79
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.2% and median household income $119,628, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published city profiles.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles: rent takes 17% of median household income and the median home is 2.9 times it.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published city profiles, placing Gurnee in the top 23% for physical resilience.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
30,510
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$119,628
Top 11% nationally
Density
2,258/sq mi
13.5 sq mi of land
Median age
40.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Lake County
Illinois
Metro area
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Nearest major airport
ORD
27 mi · Chicago O'Hare Intl
Median home value
$344,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.2% is lower than 55% of the 3,904 measured US cities.

Employment fell 0.8% over the past year, to 16,255 employed residents.

57% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 92% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $119,628 is higher than at least 89% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$7,873$119,628Top 11%of 29,4632024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,939$58,525Top 11%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate5.2%Bottom 24%of 31,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute29.5 minTop 36%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher56.7%Top 8%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Employment16,255Bottom 17%of 3,904June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.2%Bottom 28%of 3,903June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.8%Bottom 49%of 3,904June 2026
Labor force16,964Bottom 17%of 3,904June 2026
Labor force participation69.6%Top 19%of 31,9332024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$73,380Top 36%of 3,6582025 OEWS
Median annual wage$54,720Top 39%of 3,6582025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.2%Top 43%of 3,904June 2026
Unemployment rate4.2%Bottom 45%of 3,904June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/064.93.1
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.2% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Median household income, successive ACS releases
2021202220232024121k102k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $119,628 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand157,920$40,550
General and Operations Managers122,930$109,390
Home Health and Personal Care Aides108,520$38,180
Registered Nurses100,240$100,490
Cashiers99,240$35,010
Fast Food and Counter Workers97,280$34,630

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

11% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 17% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.6 students for every full-time teacher across 7 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.6
across all schools here
Math proficiency
10.9%
Bottom 15% in Illinois
Reading proficiency
17.0%
Bottom 18% in Illinois
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Warren Township High SchoolWarren Twp HSD 1213,53715.7
Woodland Middle SchoolWoodland CCSD 501,54111.6
Woodland Intermediate SchWoodland CCSD 5097912.1
River Trail SchoolGurnee SD 5647112.710%17%
Viking SchoolGurnee SD 5646111.812%17%
Spaulding Elementary SchoolGurnee SD 5645015.0
Bridges Program ALOPLake ROE0

44.4% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against Illinois’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Prices for everything a household buys run about 2% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 102.5, against 100 for the nation. Housing drives most of that difference.

A new two-bedroom lease runs about $2,029, some 23% above the $1,655 tenants already here pay — the market has moved faster than sitting tenancies have.

Median rent of $1,655 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home at $344,300 costs 2.9 times the median household income of $119,628, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
102.5

Prices here run about 2% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Rent as a share of income
16.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.9×
median home value ÷ median income
Market rent, two bedroom
$2,029
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,655
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$344,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index102.5Top 47%of 3,6582023
Home price to income2.88Bottom 49%of 27,9722024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate76.1%Top 50%of 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±39712,081Top 5%of 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroom$1,799Top 27%of 4,067FY2026
Market rent, three bedroom$2,609Top 32%of 4,067FY2026
Market rent, two bedroom$2,029Top 31%of 4,067FY2026
Median gross rent ±$83$1,655Top 16%of 23,3292024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$9,156$344,300Top 23%of 29,3422024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income16.6%Bottom 35%of 22,8042024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2.5%Bottom 17%of 31,8722024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
52/ 100
Top 47% of 2,973 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 4 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run, not a comparison of the two endpoints.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 30,546 in 2024.

Permit activity rose in each of the 4 calendar years through 2025.

96% of the 45 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

At 1.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
45
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.5
Bottom 39% nationally
Year over year
+50%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
95.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
2020202120222023202431k30k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.
Housing units permitted per year
202020212022202320242025561.0
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+1767%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 16°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 35.3 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 40, in the Good band, and about 7 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CHICAGO WAUKEGAN RGNL AP, 4.8 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.5"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index67.02024 calendar year
Annual precipitation35.3"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high81°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 10072024 calendar year
Median air quality index40.02024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing48°F1991-2020 Normals
Air quality
Median air quality index
40
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
67
90th percentile index
Days above 100
7
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today. Air quality is measured rather than modeled, by EPA monitors, and published by county only where a monitor sits — a little over half the counties AreaProfile publishes have one, and about a fifth of all US counties do, and the rest show nothing rather than an estimate. Air masses are regional, so a county reading describes the air over a place reasonably well, but it is still the county reading.

Physical risk

80 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 58% of it.

TornadoModerate
Inland floodingModerate
LightningModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, strong wind, hail, earthquake, ice storm, winter weather, landslide, wildfire, drought, coastal flooding, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
121
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,982
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Gurnee's police department reported 121 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,982.

Lake County records 2.3 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 5.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 8.6 per 100,000 residents in Lake County.

Homicide
2.3
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
5.2
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
8.6
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
7.2
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Gurnee’s own police department, for the population it serves, and are shown only where it reported every month of the year — a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime counts what was reported to and recorded by police, which is not the same as what happened, and a place that draws a large daytime workforce carries incidents its residents did not generate. Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Lake County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city center and a quiet suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around Gurnee rather than Gurnee itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Some things people look for are not on this page, and each is absent for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Taxes
Taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Cost of living now is — the index above is the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity for this area — but it is a price level for all consumption rather than a budget for a household, its spread is driven mostly by housing, and it excludes taxes. Housing affordability is computed separately from rent, price and income, because that answers a narrower and more actionable question. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house. School attendance zones, insurance pricing and the character of a neighborhood all vary within the places measured here.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Chicago O'Hare Intl at 27 miles.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Chicago O'Hare IntlORD27 mi11,245 ft
Gary/Chicago IntlGYY59 mi8,859 ft
Dane County Rgnl/Truax FldMSN89 mi9,006 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
66
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Other cities in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
ChicagoCook County2,711,22654vs Gurnee
AuroraKane County179,89864vs Gurnee
NapervilleDuPage County150,69271vs Gurnee
JolietWill County150,44559vs Gurnee
ElginKane County114,93457vs Gurnee
WaukeganLake County89,07658vs Gurnee
CiceroCook County82,79748vs Gurnee
SchaumburgCook County76,86861vs Gurnee
HammondLake County76,76858vs Gurnee
EvanstonCook County76,34063vs Gurnee
Arlington HeightsCook County76,00566vs Gurnee
BolingbrookWill County74,09664vs Gurnee

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Gurnee side by side with a similar place.

Gurnee vs LindenhurstGurnee vs Gages LakeGurnee vs ClintonGurnee vs Round Lake

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar yearAnnually, with monthly revisions
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023Annually, each December
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April 2025 to March 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026Annually, each October for the coming fiscal year
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar yearAnnually, once a calendar year is complete

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

ZIP codes in Gurnee

1 published ZIP profiles
ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeArea Score
6003137,107$111,03467