Best PlacesBelmont, Downers Grove, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Belmont, Downers Grove, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Belmont, Downers Grove ranks 1,560th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Belmont, Downers Grove
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Belmont, Downers Grove's strengths and weaknesses
Where Belmont, Downers Grove ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Belmont, Downers Grove ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Belmont, Downers Grove
A household needs to earn about $120,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Belmont, Downers Grove home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $137,332, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Belmont, Downers Grove's effective rate of 1.56%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Belmont, Downers Grove
Belmont, Downers Grove runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Belmont, Downers Grove.
Who works in Belmont, Downers Grove, and how
Work in Belmont, Downers Grove centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 54%
- Work from home 29%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in Belmont, Downers Grove
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Belmont, Downers Grove.
What the weather is like in Belmont, Downers Grove, month by month
Belmont, Downers Grove sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Belmont, Downers Grove
Chicago O'Hare International sits about 14 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 40.8 million passengers in 2025, with 305 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Belmont, Downers Grove
Schools across Belmont, Downers Grove average a B−, better than 62% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Willow Creek Elem SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thomas Jefferson Jr High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Herrick Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- O Neill Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Comm H S Dist 99 - North H SB+ · 53% proficient
- Comm H S Dist 99 - South High SchB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Belmont, Downers Grove school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Belmont, Downers Grove measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Belmont, Downers Grove against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Belmont, Downers Grove
Is Belmont, Downers Grove a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Belmont, Downers Grove ranks 1,560th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, health care access, and what local pay buys, and lowest on state finances and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Belmont, Downers Grove expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $415,497. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $137,332 median income, cost of living beats 93% of neighborhoods.
Is Belmont, Downers Grove safe?
Yes, Belmont, Downers Grove is safer than 65% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $287 per resident a year.
Compare Belmont, Downers Grove with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Belmont, Downers Grove. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Belmont, Downers Grove represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Belmont, Downers Grove detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Belmont, Downers Grove: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Belmont, Downers Grove: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Belmont, Downers Grove: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Belmont, Downers Grove: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Belmont, Downers Grove detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.