The 10 Worst Aurora Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Aurora suburbs are the real pits.

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Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Aurora.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Aurora 'burbs need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Aurora area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the suburbs to live up to Aurora proper, although Western Springs certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Aurora are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 143 biggest suburbs of Aurora to find out the worst places to live. And while you won't necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Illinois lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Aurora in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Aurora for 2022:

  1. Rockdale
  2. Sheridan
  3. Summit
  4. DeKalb
  5. Crest Hill
  6. Bridgeview
  7. Melrose Park
  8. Maywood
  9. Northlake
  10. Stone Park

What's the worst suburb of Aurora? Rockdale ranks as the worst suburb of Aurora for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Aurora that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Or, if you're thinking of moving to elsewhere in Illinois check out the best places in Illinois overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Aurora too.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more Illinois reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Aurora Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with Rockdale, the absolute worst place to live around Aurora according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Rockdale beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 2nd worst in the Aurora area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 2nd worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it's cheap to live there. But there's a reason for that... it's Rockdale.

You won't feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren't a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,416
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $44,406 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.5% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $135,200 (2nd lowest)
More on Rockdale:  Data

Welcome to Sheridan. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 25.8 miles to Aurora. Income levels here are the 45th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $70,925 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,829
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $70,925 (45th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (3highest)
Median Home Value: $156,400 (3rd lowest)
More on Sheridan:  Data

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Aurora suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Summit on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that's an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it's in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Aurora suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,171
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $46,972 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (11th highest)
Median Home Value: $186,800 (25th lowest)
More on Summit:  Data

If you live in DeKalb, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the lowest Aurora suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 5th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Aurora. Remember, we looked at 143 cities for this study.

DeKalb is about 26.2 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 42,961
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $44,223 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (5th highest)
Median Home Value: $165,500 (8th lowest)
More on Dekalb:  Data | Photos

Dekalb, IL

Source: Wikipedia User |

Crest Hill has the distinction of being a Aurora suburb. Which means that's about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Crest Hill has the 13th lowest home values in the metro Aurora area, where the median price is $173,700. To put that into perspective, in Western Springs, the median income is $206,701, which is the best in the area.

Crest Hill has an unemployment rate of 7.28% which ranks 13th worst.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 20,388
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 19)
Median Income: $58,462 (15th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.3% (13th highest)
Median Home Value: $173,700 (13th lowest)
More on Crest Hill:  Data | Photos

Crest Hill, IL

Bridgeview has 15,576 residents that probably know it's a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you've ever been there, you don't need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 14.494202319072373%.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 15,576
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $55,102 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (27th highest)
Median Home Value: $198,900 (32nd lowest)
More on Bridgeview:  Data | Photos

Bridgeview, IL

Ah, Melrose Park. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Aurora.

It's the place with the 23rd most out of work residents in the Aurora metro area (6.24%).

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 25,404
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 7)
Median Income: $53,596 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.2% (23rd highest)
Median Home Value: $200,700 (34th lowest)
More on Melrose Park:  Data | Photos

Melrose Park, IL

Maywood is a city about 24.3 miles from Aurora, but Aurora probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You'd be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Maywood has the 10th most uninsured people, 13th worst incomes, and has the 6th highest unemployment rate (9.12%) in the entire Aurora metro area.

Homes only cost $158,900 for a reason. That's cheap for Aurora standards.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 23,351
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Income: $56,623 (13th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.1% (6th highest)
Median Home Value: $158,900 (4th lowest)
More on Maywood:  Data | Photos

Maywood, IL

If you absolutely have to live near Aurora, then Northlake might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Aurora suburb.

About 5.21% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 12,235
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $60,495 (19th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (40th highest)
Median Home Value: $189,100 (26th lowest)
More on Northlake:  Data

Rounding out the ten worst Aurora suburbs to call home is Stone Park.

Located 23.2 miles outside the city, Stone Parks is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 19th highest unemployment rate (6.64%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,842
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Median Income: $63,710 (27th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.6% (19th highest)
Median Home Value: $174,400 (14th lowest)
More on Stone Park:  Data

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Aurora for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Aurora.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 143 suburbs to evaluate around Aurora.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 143 in each category, where 1 was the "worst".

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the "Worst Suburb near Aurora." We're lookin' at you, Rockdale. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Aurora where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Aurora with Rockdale casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Aurora aren't all bad. Western Springs takes the cake as the best place to live around Aurora.

  • Western Springs
  • Winfield
  • River Forest

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Aurora Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Rockdale 2,416 $44,406 $135,200
2 Sheridan 2,829 $70,925 $156,400
3 Summit 11,171 $46,972 $186,800
4 Dekalb 42,961 $44,223 $165,500
5 Crest Hill 20,388 $58,462 $173,700
6 Bridgeview 15,576 $55,102 $198,900
7 Melrose Park 25,404 $53,596 $200,700
8 Maywood 23,351 $56,623 $158,900
9 Northlake 12,235 $60,495 $189,100
10 Stone Park 4,842 $63,710 $174,400
11 Elgin 112,062 $72,999 $196,100
12 West Chicago 26,998 $77,098 $247,100
13 Worth 10,544 $59,464 $176,100
14 Franklin Park 17,779 $67,755 $211,600
15 Chicago Ridge 14,028 $51,555 $169,200
16 Rosemont 4,173 $56,432 $374,600
17 Cicero 81,471 $53,726 $174,400
18 Justice 12,677 $57,523 $185,500
19 Carpentersville 37,618 $73,105 $176,800
20 Joliet 147,323 $72,871 $193,100
21 Alsip 18,843 $58,768 $168,500
22 Bellwood 18,799 $63,006 $161,600
23 Countryside 5,929 $67,201 $242,700
24 Plano 11,058 $79,113 $174,500
25 Schiller Park 11,499 $58,637 $228,600
26 Broadview 7,677 $54,537 $172,000
27 Hillside 7,937 $56,019 $190,000
28 Burbank 28,447 $70,052 $201,300
29 Hanover Park 37,811 $77,367 $206,400
30 Crestwood 10,762 $60,541 $164,700
31 Hometown 4,216 $51,487 $122,800
32 Lyons 10,338 $66,005 $175,700
33 Berwyn 54,850 $61,915 $227,100
34 Glendale Heights 33,863 $70,034 $203,200
35 Addison 36,714 $68,534 $259,000
36 Palos Hills 17,172 $64,364 $205,600
37 Bensenville 18,273 $64,401 $219,100
38 Oak Lawn 55,432 $69,352 $211,500
39 East Dundee 3,211 $73,199 $208,400
40 Morris 14,420 $61,419 $190,700
41 Romeoville 39,644 $85,888 $198,800
42 River Grove 9,957 $63,193 $211,600
43 Cortland 4,261 $74,821 $162,700
44 Hinckley 2,190 $70,278 $221,900
45 Elwood 2,524 $81,250 $171,200
46 Hickory Hills 14,253 $66,272 $239,900
47 Bolingbrook 74,319 $92,184 $231,100
48 Warrenville 13,137 $86,462 $224,500
49 Stickney 6,607 $67,246 $184,500
50 Wood Dale 13,783 $75,521 $246,300
51 Sycamore 17,990 $65,924 $199,500
52 North Riverside 6,460 $55,879 $250,400
53 Harwood Heights 8,393 $67,745 $279,700
54 Rolling Meadows 23,288 $78,609 $246,300
55 Des Plaines 58,316 $73,639 $267,200
56 Somonauk 2,027 $71,375 $174,600
57 Berkeley 5,079 $71,025 $175,900
58 Oakbrook Terrace 2,909 $61,563 $319,400
59 Sandwich 7,351 $70,563 $181,200
60 Carol Stream 39,447 $89,820 $257,800
61 Streamwood 39,917 $88,917 $205,900
62 North Aurora 18,089 $90,315 $257,700
63 Forest Park 13,808 $70,670 $245,900
64 Elmwood Park 24,274 $63,312 $267,500
65 Hampshire 5,909 $99,635 $255,800
66 Palatine 67,875 $83,495 $286,600
67 South Elgin 23,648 $99,189 $242,700
68 Oak Forest 27,403 $78,865 $202,400
69 Tinley Park 56,082 $82,163 $238,200
70 Montgomery 19,515 $99,208 $224,900
71 Villa Park 22,087 $79,314 $252,900
72 Channahon 13,281 $99,429 $236,300
73 Westmont 24,677 $69,902 $314,400
74 Lake In The Hills 28,617 $96,470 $236,000
75 Roselle 22,744 $92,470 $267,000
76 Yorkville 19,386 $101,245 $257,000
77 Norridge 14,465 $78,300 $308,300
78 Lockport 25,499 $87,817 $244,900
79 Bloomingdale 21,905 $87,397 $306,400
80 Orland Hills 7,069 $82,337 $226,400
81 Orland Park 58,380 $84,676 $289,000
82 Manhattan 8,218 $105,726 $248,300
83 Hoffman Estates 50,464 $92,423 $286,600
84 Mount Prospect 54,165 $84,353 $332,100
85 Algonquin 30,848 $109,819 $268,100
86 Westchester 16,255 $88,861 $244,900
87 Schaumburg 73,392 $82,387 $261,900
88 Shorewood 17,303 $106,341 $268,600
89 Minooka 11,069 $97,097 $218,700
90 Woodridge 33,443 $88,803 $282,200
91 Homer Glen 24,521 $108,783 $337,400
92 Lombard 43,755 $86,167 $264,300
93 Darien 21,843 $100,771 $336,800
94 Oswego 35,470 $97,330 $254,200
95 Huntley 27,413 $77,420 $256,100
96 St. Charles 32,612 $102,414 $303,000
97 Willowbrook 8,610 $86,364 $278,200
98 Willow Springs 5,610 $98,664 $316,600
99 Lisle 23,363 $96,945 $361,400
100 Indian Head Park 3,744 $88,496 $258,600

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Aurora.
 Worst