Green Bay vs Waukegan
The short version
- Green Bay is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Waukegan area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,900 in Waukegan and $207,200 in Green Bay.
- Households earn more in Waukegan ($71,919 vs $66,206 median).
- Waukegan has the warmer winter: January highs of 31°F vs 26°F.
- Green Bay gets far more snow: 56 inches a year vs 43.
- Commutes are shorter in Green Bay (19 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Green Bay, WI | Waukegan, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 106,675 | 87,940 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.6% | -1.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,346 | 3,625 |
| Median age | 36.0 | 35.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 21% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,206 | $71,919 |
| Median home value | $207,200 | $190,900 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 2.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $932 | $1,205 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.7 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.2 | 26.1 |
| Work from home | 11% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| Poverty rate | 14.7% | 15.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 26° / 11° | 31° / 16° |
| July high / low | 81° / 60° | 81° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 32 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 56 in | 43 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 9 |
| Nights below freezing | 152 | 132 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.0 | 96.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +5% | +5.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +59.7% | +51.8% |
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: Green Bay: May to September. Waukegan: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Green Bay weather by month and Waukegan weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Green Bay and $77,700 in Waukegan. Moving from Green Bay to Waukegan, you would need about $83,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Green Bay and Waukegan
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Green Bay and Waukegan.
Which would you pick?
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