The 10 Most Boring Places In Illinois For 2023


The most boring places in Illinois are Spring Grove and Geneseo for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Illinois that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.

Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Prairie State are so lucky.

Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Illinois’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.

Like Spring Grove, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Oklahoma according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Spring Grove. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Illinois as well.

Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.

Don’t freak out, in fact, believe it not, a boring city is actually one a lot of people would like to call home.

Before you get all upset if your city’s name is on the list, rest assured that we didn’t use personal opinion when it comes to what classifies a city or town as “boring” or “exciting”. We crunched actual numbers to figure out which towns are statistically more boring.

Showing this data to you is the kind of thing that a real estate agent knows, but would never share.

For more Illinois reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Most Boring Places In Illinois For 2023

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10
Population: 5,694
Average Age: 40.2
% Married: 52.0%
More on Spring Grove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Geneseo, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 6,421
Average Age: 46.5
% Married: 41.0%
More on Geneseo: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10
Population: 5,001
Average Age: 48.3
% Married: 31.0%
More on South Barrington: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Godfrey, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 17,791
Average Age: 50.5
% Married: 42.0%
More on Godfrey: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 5,782
Average Age: 44.9
% Married: 35.0%
More on East Alton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Long Grove, IL

Source: Wikipedia User bogdanstepniak | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 8,279
Average Age: 48.6
% Married: 35.0%
More on Long Grove: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 9,251
Average Age: 44.8
% Married: 37.0%
More on Sugar Grove: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10
Population: 5,952
Average Age: 41.7
% Married: 41.0%
More on Bartonville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Peru, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 9,831
Average Age: 46.1
% Married: 43.0%
More on Peru: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Homer Glen, IL

Source: Flickr User Teemu008 | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10
Population: 24,507
Average Age: 42.3
% Married: 45.0%
More on Homer Glen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Prairie State

You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Illinois. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.

Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.

To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.

We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. HSome of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:

  • % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
  • % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
  • Average Age (higher is more boring)
  • % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
  • Population density (lower is more boring)

Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.

For this ranking, we used every Illinois city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.

Grab your rocker and hold on.

We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most boring cities in Illinois.

There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep

On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Illinois isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Illinois, according to science:

  1. Urbana
  2. Champaign
  3. Dekalb

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Illinois For 2023

Rank City Population Average Age % Married % Kids
1 Spring Grove, IL 5,694 40.2 52.0% 46.2%
2 Geneseo, IL 6,421 46.5 41.0% 32.0%
3 South Barrington, IL 5,001 48.3 31.0% 42.8%
4 Godfrey, IL 17,791 50.5 42.0% 23.4%
5 East Alton, IL 5,782 44.9 35.0% 31.4%
6 Long Grove, IL 8,279 48.6 35.0% 30.6%
7 Sugar Grove, IL 9,251 44.8 37.0% 38.8%
8 Bartonville, IL 5,952 41.7 41.0% 32.0%
9 Peru, IL 9,831 46.1 43.0% 29.0%
10 Homer Glen, IL 24,507 42.3 45.0% 33.0%
11 Columbia, IL 11,036 41.5 33.0% 36.4%
12 Inverness, IL 7,722 53.4 33.0% 28.6%
13 Campton Hills, IL 10,556 43.2 40.0% 41.8%
14 Northfield, IL 5,707 49.9 33.0% 33.5%
15 Bethalto, IL 9,281 41.2 41.0% 33.9%
16 Frankfort, IL 20,260 42.6 44.0% 44.0%
17 Winthrop Harbor, IL 6,693 51.1 41.0% 23.2%
18 Morton, IL 16,601 41.9 46.0% 30.0%
19 Braidwood, IL 6,160 44.0 46.0% 31.2%
20 Johnsburg, IL 6,387 40.2 42.0% 40.6%
21 Flossmoor, IL 9,405 46.3 37.0% 35.0%
22 Huntley, IL 27,652 49.1 40.0% 25.6%
23 Colona, IL 5,404 42.9 31.0% 32.2%
24 Manteno, IL 8,632 48.8 45.0% 23.8%
25 Lemont, IL 17,558 44.2 37.0% 35.9%
26 Highland, IL 10,215 42.8 37.0% 27.7%
27 Mokena, IL 19,886 43.1 52.0% 30.7%
28 Maryville, IL 8,219 48.3 31.0% 26.3%
29 Du Quoin, IL 5,822 43.4 34.0% 29.2%
30 Highland Park, IL 30,209 48.0 36.0% 31.5%
31 Princeton, IL 7,749 46.5 33.0% 23.1%
32 Burr Ridge, IL 11,131 56.7 32.0% 23.8%
33 Oak Brook, IL 8,065 52.5 26.0% 30.1%
34 Shorewood, IL 18,109 42.6 43.0% 32.1%
35 Spring Valley, IL 5,518 43.4 36.0% 27.2%
36 Litchfield, IL 6,937 44.7 33.0% 23.2%
37 Lake Bluff, IL 5,919 45.3 28.0% 40.7%
38 Lake Barrington, IL 5,377 56.0 29.0% 21.4%
39 East Peoria, IL 22,552 42.1 43.0% 24.7%
40 Crete, IL 8,425 49.2 30.0% 24.3%
41 Hawthorn Woods, IL 9,111 39.6 37.0% 47.0%
42 Willow Springs, IL 5,862 45.7 33.0% 22.0%
43 Fox Lake, IL 10,798 47.3 32.0% 20.1%
44 Monee, IL 5,120 48.4 25.0% 25.7%
45 Rockton, IL 8,241 40.4 35.0% 40.1%
46 Monticello, IL 6,337 40.5 43.0% 26.1%
47 Mchenry, IL 27,493 43.1 35.0% 28.5%
48 Metropolis, IL 5,963 43.9 22.0% 31.6%
49 Channahon, IL 13,807 38.6 48.0% 43.1%
50 Orland Park, IL 58,345 46.6 38.0% 26.6%
51 Benton, IL 6,999 40.8 36.0% 28.9%
52 Waterloo, IL 11,012 40.0 34.0% 32.7%
53 Mount Zion, IL 6,255 39.8 49.0% 39.9%
54 Hampshire, IL 8,113 39.2 30.0% 36.0%
55 Itasca, IL 9,627 42.5 31.0% 29.1%
56 Palos Heights, IL 11,965 51.5 45.0% 21.6%
57 Chillicothe, IL 6,130 43.1 34.0% 21.9%
58 Deerfield, IL 19,173 44.6 37.0% 34.7%
59 Winfield, IL 9,947 48.2 36.0% 28.1%
60 Lynwood, IL 9,087 43.1 35.0% 33.1%
61 Herrin, IL 12,344 41.6 33.0% 25.3%
62 Geneva, IL 21,390 41.7 35.0% 33.3%
63 Canton, IL 13,380 44.7 32.0% 23.1%
64 Mahomet, IL 9,545 37.1 48.0% 42.6%
65 Glencoe, IL 8,787 44.9 34.0% 40.3%
66 Barrington, IL 11,244 42.4 32.0% 41.4%
67 Bartlett, IL 40,829 41.1 33.0% 36.2%
68 Pingree Grove, IL 10,213 36.9 37.0% 46.0%
69 Lake Villa, IL 8,701 40.9 33.0% 41.4%
70 Pontiac, IL 11,451 41.4 31.0% 27.0%
71 Park Ridge, IL 39,368 45.1 37.0% 32.7%
72 Manhattan, IL 9,590 34.6 56.0% 48.6%
73 Jerseyville, IL 7,623 42.2 32.0% 29.7%
74 Algonquin, IL 29,888 41.0 34.0% 32.8%
75 Morris, IL 14,491 39.5 40.0% 28.9%
76 Silvis, IL 7,936 46.0 31.0% 19.6%
77 Marion, IL 16,867 40.8 32.0% 23.2%
78 Vandalia, IL 6,058 42.1 24.0% 25.8%
79 Northbrook, IL 34,950 49.4 29.0% 28.1%
80 Olney, IL 8,995 40.6 30.0% 34.1%
81 Machesney Park, IL 22,840 40.9 35.0% 30.2%
82 Volo, IL 6,368 33.7 37.0% 49.1%
83 Glenview, IL 47,896 46.5 28.0% 32.2%
84 New Lenox, IL 27,242 37.0 54.0% 43.0%
85 Darien, IL 21,953 45.0 34.0% 25.6%
86 Robinson, IL 7,089 39.9 22.0% 33.4%
87 Yorkville, IL 21,273 34.6 40.0% 41.7%
88 St. Charles, IL 32,776 41.8 34.0% 29.6%
89 West Frankfort, IL 7,168 40.3 36.0% 32.1%
90 Lake Zurich, IL 19,749 41.2 34.0% 36.0%
91 Matteson, IL 18,898 43.8 31.0% 26.5%
92 Minooka, IL 12,606 33.7 43.0% 51.4%
93 Downers Grove, IL 49,996 42.6 34.0% 29.1%
94 Mattoon, IL 16,830 42.4 33.0% 25.7%
95 Gilberts, IL 8,180 35.2 35.0% 45.3%
96 Lincolnshire, IL 7,907 51.3 20.0% 25.2%
97 Crystal Lake, IL 40,463 39.9 35.0% 35.8%
98 Tinley Park, IL 55,571 41.6 39.0% 28.0%
99 Ottawa, IL 18,708 39.6 32.0% 30.2%
100 Roscoe, IL 11,134 35.5 35.0% 44.6%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

4 thoughts on “The 10 Most Boring Places In Illinois For 2023

  1. You say that the algorithm is unbiased and that the data isn’t influenced by your opinion, but all of the categories are based on what you “generally think” make for an exciting town. You assume that married people, people with kids, and people over 65 years old are boring. Your “data” and “science” is flawed.

  2. Urbana-Champaign is only “exciting” on your list because practically none of the people there are married because it’s a COLLEGE TOWN! I’ve been there, and I wouldn’t call it “exciting” either.

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