Population
Waukegan
88,919
Essex
40,670
Median Income
Waukegan
$70,578
Essex
$67,082
Home Value
Waukegan
$177,600
Essex
$253,500
Rent
Waukegan
$1,163
Essex
$1,307
Crime Rate
Waukegan
4.45
Essex
N/A
Cost of Living
Waukegan
113.7
Essex
115.8
Avg Temp
Waukegan
N/A
Essex
N/A
Unemployment
Waukegan
5.3%
Essex
5.3%
How Similar Are Waukegan & Essex?
Essex is Waukegan's #7 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Waukegan
88,919
Essex
40,670
Waukegan (88,919) is about 2.2x larger than Essex (40,670).
Political Leaning
Waukegan
38.9%
Essex
36.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Waukegan
5.3%
Essex
5.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
Waukegan
$70,578
Essex
$67,082
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Waukegan
$177,600
Essex
$253,500
Essex has a 30% higher home values than Waukegan.
Education
Waukegan
13.7%
Essex
13.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Waukegan
33.0%
Essex
54.8%
Essex has a 40% higher demographics than Waukegan.
Cost of Living
Waukegan
113.7
Essex
115.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Waukegan and Essex share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Waukegan
0
Essex
Essex leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Waukegan leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDWaukegan scores 126.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 139.6 in Essex. Essex scores 102.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 109.6 in Waukegan. Essex has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,511 vs $1,581 in Waukegan (5% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Essex leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEssex has a median property tax of $2,895 vs $4,559 in Waukegan (57% lower). Waukegan has a vacancy rate of 4.4% compared to 6.5% in Essex. Essex has a median home value of $253,500 vs $177,600 in Waukegan (30% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Waukegan leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaukegan: 47,697 vs Essex: 22,026 for labor force. Essex has a poverty rate of 12.7% compared to 15.3% in Waukegan. Waukegan has a government sector of 46.6% compared to 38.8% in Essex.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauEssex has a high school diploma or higher of 40.9% compared to 33.2% in Waukegan. Waukegan has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.7% compared to 13.3% in Essex.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaukegan has a population of 88,919, about 2.2x the size of Essex (40,670). Waukegan skews younger with a median age of 34.6 vs 40.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Waukegan
Essex
Healthcare — Essex leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEssex: 5 vs Waukegan: 4 for with emergency services. Essex: 3.8 vs Waukegan: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Essex leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEssex has a public transit of 6.3% compared to 2.5% in Waukegan. Essex has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.2% in Waukegan. Essex has a drive alone of 71.7% compared to 69.9% in Waukegan.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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Compare Waukegan against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.