Lakewood, Illinois

Population

Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.

4,293

people, the 360th-largest of Illinois's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Illinois's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

94.6%

of 467 jobs located in Lakewood are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is $2,001 a month.

$2,001

a month. Illinois's median is $1,274.

Census ACS 5-year, 2010-2014 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,310 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in McHenry County.

• $950 Tract 8713.04
• $2,260 Tract 8713.12

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$825–$1,237

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $2,001 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2010-2014. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

52% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 114 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 10% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 52% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0–0.3% to the 1,641 homes here.

0–5

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 110% more than Illinois's.

$552,600

median home value in Lakewood.

• $552,600 Lakewood
• $263,300 Illinois
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year