Racine vs Schaumburg
The short version
- Racine is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Schaumburg area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $166,500 in Racine and $330,400 in Schaumburg.
- Households earn more in Schaumburg ($97,514 vs $57,740 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Racine (23 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Racine, WI | Schaumburg, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 77,908 | 77,249 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.5% | -1.9% |
| People per square mile | 5,035 | 3,985 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 39.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21% | 50% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $57,740 | $97,514 |
| Median home value | $166,500 | $330,400 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,033 | $1,812 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.0 | 103.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 92.0 | 112.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,000 | $77,700 |
| Homeowners | 60% | 63% |
| Top state income tax | 7.65% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.72% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 27.8 |
| Work from home | 7% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 3.5% |
| Poverty rate | 18.2% | 5.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 16° | 32° / 19° |
| July high / low | 81° / 63° | 85° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 32 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 41 in | 38 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 7 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 126 | 121 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 85.4 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 30% |
| Home prices, past year | +7.2% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +56.5% | +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: Racine: May to September. Schaumburg: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Racine weather by month and Schaumburg weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,000 in Racine and $77,700 in Schaumburg. Moving from Racine to Schaumburg, you would need about $81,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Racine and Schaumburg
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Racine and Schaumburg.
Which would you pick?
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