Elgin’s No. 1 for safety, affordability

New GoBankingRates ranking touts benefits of living in the city

By Gloria Casas Chicago Tribune

Mayor Dave Kaptain says he’s always known his hometown of Elgin, Illinois, is the best place in the country to live, and now he has proof.

The city was ranked the No. 1 best city in the United States for safety and affordability, according to research done by the online website GoBankingRates.com.

“We’ve worked so hard to change the image,” Kaptain said. “(That work is now) “paying dividends for us,” he said.

GoBankingRates researchers’ analyzed a variety of factors, including cost of living, crime rates and the livability, of more than 300 of the largest cities in the the country using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI, according to a news release.

Each city was scored in each category and then ranked from highest overall scores to lowest.

With a median income of $85,998 and a household average mortgage cost of $1,840, Elgin’s total monthly cost of living is $4,008, the website said.

Its top ranking beat out such towns as Cary, North Carolina; Gilbert, Arizona; and League City, Texas.

However, Texas had the best showing overall, nabbing 11 of the top 25 slots.

Illinois towns did not fare as well. Only Joliet, ranked at No. 17, made the top 50.

That said, Illinois had the 34th greatest percent change in middle class income from 2021 to 2022, increasing from $37,902 in 2021 to $52,289 in 2022, according to GoBankingRates numbers.

The median sale price of a home in Illinois was $297,500 in 2023. Data shows that 25% of single-family homes were new construction in 2023 compared to 15% the year before, according to the site.

Also contributing was Elgin’s overall crime rate, which is lower than the national average and on the decline for the last decade, according to police department statistics.

Elgin’s ranking didn’t come as a surprise to City Manager Rick Kozal.

“The city’s safety is the result of a longstanding commitment to progressive policing that unifies the community in its resolve to address crime,” Kozal said. “Elgin’s affordability comes from an adherence to sound fiscal and operational management that prioritizes top level city services at the lowest cost to its residents and businesses.

“It is extremely gratifying to have Elgin’s merits validated by GoBankingRates’ objective analysis,” he said.

To view the full report, go to www.gobankingrates .com/money/economy /safest-most-affordable-us -cities-to-live-in.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.