Prairie State Wire

With an average median income of $100,292, DuPage County was rated the most livable county in Illinois by the Stacker website, based on criteria such as leisure activities, living costs, job availability and public school quality.

Stacker compiled what it says is the best county in each state to live in using 2022 data from the Niche website. In DuPage, the median home value was found to be $324,900, with median rents coming in at $1,433.

The county, which is part of a ring of affluent areas around Chicago, now has a population of 934,094, the Stacker study reported..

Other metrics examined in the analysis included whether the best counties in each state contained universities to provide intellectual enrichment. Top counties also tended to have museums, art galleries and theaters. 

In addition, the top counties had a range of business opportunities, such as high-tech companies and hedge funds, plus wineries and locations to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables, according to Stacker. 

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Best Counties to Live in Among the States

State	County	Population	Median Home Value	Median Rent	Median Household Income
Alabama	Madison	382,149	$202,500	$936	$71,153
Alaska	Valdez-Cordova Borough	9,243	$222,200	$1,067	$79,867
Arizona	Maricopa	4,367,186	$304,700	$1,275	$72,944
Arkansas	Benton	278,774	$211,100	$1,002	$76,887
California	San Mateo	762,488	$1,225,900	$2,599	$136,837
Colorado	Boulder	328,713	$575,700	$1,694	$92,466
Connecticut	Fairfield	956,446	$443,100	$1,593	$101,194
Delaware	New Castle	567,769	$275,600	$1,228	$78,428
Florida	St. Johns	265,724	$348,100	$1,462	$88,794
Georgia	Oconee	41,006	$329,700	$1,203	$106,165
Hawaii	Honolulu	1,015,167	$726,800	$1,870	$92,600
Idaho	Ada	485,246	$342,500	$1,163	$75,115
Illinois	DuPage	934,094	$324,900	$1,433	$100,292
Indiana	Hamilton	341,616	$302,400	$1,265	$104,858
Iowa	Dallas	96,604	$273,800	$1,078	$93,492
Kansas	Johnson	605,154	$294,300	$1,201	$96,059
Kentucky	Oldham	67,586	$314,300	$1,032	$109,815
Louisiana	Ascension Parish	125,289	$228,000	$1,087	$86,256
Maine	Cumberland	300,776	$314,700	$1,273	$80,679
Maryland	Howard	329,248	$483,200	$1,790	$129,549
Massachusetts	Middlesex	1,623,411	$575,500	$1,815	$111,790
Michigan	Washtenaw	372,428	$293,800	$1,218	$79,198
Minnesota	Hennepin	1,270,283	$309,200	$1,244	$85,438
Mississippi	Madison	108,248	$236,000	$948	$74,688
Missouri	St. Louis	1,001,982	$220,100	$1,032	$72,562
Montana	Gallatin	116,725	$435,400	$1,212	$76,208
Nebraska	Lancaster	320,301	$204,400	$921	$65,086
Nevada	Washoe	479,758	$388,600	$1,251	$74,292
New Hampshire	Rockingham	312,771	$367,300	$1,371	$101,683
New Jersey	Somerset	343,950	$444,700	$1,722	$121,695
New Mexico	Los Alamos	19,169	$343,100	$1,143	$123,677
New York	Nassau	1,391,678	$560,100	$1,940	$126,576
North Carolina	Wake	1,112,883	$324,500	$1,276	$88,471
North Dakota	Cass	182,992	$244,000	$851	$68,718
Ohio	Delaware	211,121	$336,600	$1,202	$116,284
Oklahoma	Cleveland	292,110	$175,700	$979	$67,068
Oregon	Benton	94,667	$384,900	$1,201	$68,732
Pennsylvania	Montgomery	850,890	$338,800	$1,393	$99,361
Rhode Island	Bristol	50,672	$379,000	$1,141	$95,102
South Carolina	Greenville	519,178	$212,300	$1,011	$65,513
South Dakota	Clay	14,816	$179,000	$725	$56,077
Tennessee	Williamson	242,386	$497,500	$1,670	$116,492
Texas	Collin	1,039,812	$355,100	$1,521	$104,327
Utah	Cache	131,703	$283,800	$914	$65,670
Vermont	Chittenden	167,523	$331,300	$1,386	$81,957
Virginia	Loudoun	413,574	$569,100	$2,033	$156,821
Washington	King	2,240,876	$651,900	$1,801	$106,326
West Virginia	Monongalia	105,695	$221,600	$868	$56,466
Wisconsin	Ozaukee	91,029	$305,700	$960	$86,915
Wyoming	Albany	37,311	$247,100	$851	$50,733

Source: Stacker.com