Prairie State Wire

DuPage, Lake and McLean counties earned the three top spots on a ranking by the website Niche.com of the Illinois counties with the best quality of life.

All three counties received “A+” overall grades. DuPage and Lake also received “A+” grades in public education, while McLean earned an “A-” for its public schools, according to Niche.com. 

The 2021 study examined counties’ public schools, crime rates, housing markets, employment opportunities, health statistics and access to amenities, giving weighted scores depending on the factor examined. The original county data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources.

Niche.com ranks universities, schools, neighborhoods and businesses using what it says are detailed data sets and feedback from communities around the nation.

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The 50 Most Livable Counties in Illinois

Rank	County	Overall Grade	Public Schools Grade
1	DuPage	A+	A+
2	Lake	A+	A+
3	McLean	A+	A-
4	Champaign	A+	B+
5	Sangamon	A	A-
6	Cook	A	B
7	Kane	A	A
8	Peoria	A	A-
9	Will	A	A-
10	St. Clair	A-	A-
11	Kendall	A-	A-
12	Monroe	A-	A-
13	Jackson	A-	B-
14	McHenry	A-	A-
15	Madison	A-	A-
16	Woodford	A-	A-
17	Piatt	A-	A-
18	Rock Island	B+	B
19	DeKalb	B+	B+
20	Macon	B+	B+
21	Winnebago	B+	B+
22	Effingham	B+	B+
23	Brown	B+	B-
24	Tazewell	B+	B+
25	McDonough	B+	B-
26	Clinton	B+	A-
27	Williamson	B+	B
28	Adams	B	B
29	Jo Daviess	B	A-
30	Richland	B	B
31	Ford	B	A-
32	Whiteside	B	B+
33	Bond	B	B
34	Warren	B	B
35	Grundy	B	A-
36	Henry	B	B+
37	Menard	B	B
38	Johnson	B	B
39	Coles	B	C+
40	Logan	B	B
41	Boone	B	B
42	Kankakee	B	B
43	Ogle	B	B+
44	Douglas	B	B
45	Knox	B	B-
46	Crawford	B	B
47	Union	B	B-
48	Jefferson	B	B-
49	Moultrie	B	B
50	Stephenson	B	B

Source: Niche.com