Is Palos Heights, IL a Good Place to Live?
Palos Heights is a small city of 11,965 in Illinois, with a median household income of $105,366 and a 3.6% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 103 (US average = 100), which is 3% above the national average.
Strengths: Palos Heights 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 Palos Heights is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Palos Heights 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: 102.6Palos Heights's overall cost of living index is 102.6, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Palos Heights costs roughly 3% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Palos Heights, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $334,700 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,696 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 95.1% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $105,366 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafePalos Heights's violent crime rate is 61.7 per 100,000 residents — 84% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Palos Heights is served primarily by Palos Heights SD 128. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.0:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Palos Heights, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Palos Heights SD 128 | — |
| Elementary Schools | 3 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.0:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 45.1% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.3% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Palos Heights sees average highs of 32.8°F in January and 85.2°F in July, with 41.2 inches of annual precipitation and 38.8 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Palos Heights, IL |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 32.8°F |
| Average High — July | 85.2°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 41.2" |
| Annual Snowfall | 38.8" |
Demographics
| Metric | Palos Heights, IL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,965 | — |
| Median Age | 51.5 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.6% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 29.2 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 89.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 2.6% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.3% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 18.1% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 30.7% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Palos Heights
Palos Heights, IL is covered by 1 ZIP code: