Cicero vs Joliet
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $249,400 in Cicero and $265,800 in Joliet.
- Households earn more in Joliet ($92,201 vs $70,842 median).
- Cicero gets far more snow: 39 inches a year vs 17.
- Joliet is growing faster: +1.2% since 2020 vs -4%.
Side by side
| Cicero, IL | Joliet, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 81,858 | 152,241 |
| Growth since 2020 | -4% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 13,957 | 2,297 |
| Median age | 34.4 | 35.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11% | 26% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $70,842 | $92,201 |
| Median home value | $249,400 | $265,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.5× | 2.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,154 | $1,276 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 74% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.3 | 28.8 |
| Work from home | 6% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5% | 5.5% |
| Poverty rate | 14.6% | 11.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 33° / 19° | 31° / 17° |
| July high / low | 85° / 68° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 34 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 17 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 106 | 126 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.2% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +45.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cicero: May to October. Joliet: June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Cicero weather by month and Joliet weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,700 in Cicero and $77,700 in Joliet. Moving from Cicero to Joliet, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cicero and Joliet
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cicero and Joliet.
Which would you pick?
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