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Is Buffalo Grove, IL a Good Place to Live?
Buffalo Grove is a small city of 42,934 in Illinois, with a median household income of $127,553 and a 3.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 103 (US average = 100), which is 3% above the national average.
Strengths: Buffalo Grove stands out for lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (A+), a well-educated population.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Buffalo Grove is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Buffalo Grove city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 102.6Buffalo Grove's overall cost of living index is 102.6, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Buffalo Grove costs roughly 3% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Buffalo Grove, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $380,700 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,988 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 83.2% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $127,553 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeBuffalo Grove's violent crime rate is 21.3 per 100,000 residents — 94% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Buffalo Grove is served primarily by Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.7:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Buffalo Grove, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 | — |
| Elementary Schools | 5 | — |
| Middle Schools | 2 | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.7:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 67.2% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Buffalo Grove sees average highs of 31.9°F in January and 84.0°F in July, with 38.6 inches of annual precipitation and 43.1 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Buffalo Grove, IL |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 31.9°F |
| Average High — July | 84.0°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 38.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 43.1" |
Demographics
| Metric | Buffalo Grove, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 42,934 | — |
| Median Age | 41.6 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 28.8 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 64.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.6% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3.1% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 25.4% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.5% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 14.6% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove, IL is covered by 1 ZIP code: