Population
Wheaton
53,453
Downers Grove
49,867
Median Income
Wheaton
$119,566
Downers Grove
$119,649
Home Value
Wheaton
$447,700
Downers Grove
$439,000
Rent
Wheaton
$1,731
Downers Grove
$1,589
Crime Rate
Wheaton
0.51
Downers Grove
1.13
Cost of Living
Wheaton
177.6
Downers Grove
170.2
Avg Temp
Wheaton
N/A
Downers Grove
N/A
Unemployment
Wheaton
3.5%
Downers Grove
4.0%
How Similar Are Wheaton & Downers Grove?
Downers Grove is Wheaton's #4 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Wheaton
53,453
Downers Grove
49,867
Both cities have similar populations — Wheaton at 53,453 and Downers Grove at 49,867.
Violent Crime
Wheaton
0.51
Downers Grove
1.13
Downers Grove's violent crime is significantly higher than Wheaton's — 55% difference.
Property Crime
Wheaton
5.41
Downers Grove
8.72
Downers Grove has a 38% higher property crime than Wheaton.
Political Leaning
Wheaton
42.5%
Downers Grove
42.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Wheaton
3.5%
Downers Grove
4.0%
Downers Grove has a 13% higher unemployment than Wheaton.
Median Income
Wheaton
$119,566
Downers Grove
$119,649
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Wheaton
$447,700
Downers Grove
$439,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Wheaton
42.8%
Downers Grove
42.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Wheaton
80.5%
Downers Grove
84.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Wheaton
177.6
Downers Grove
170.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Wheaton and Downers Grove are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Wheaton
0
Downers Grove
Cost of Living & Affordability — Downers Grove leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDowners Grove scores 211.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 232.9 in Wheaton. Downers Grove scores 170.2 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 177.6 in Wheaton. Downers Grove has a living wage (1 adult) of $74,908 vs $78,162 in Wheaton.
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 — Downers Grove leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDowners Grove has a median property tax of $7,237 vs $9,332 in Wheaton (29% lower). Downers Grove has a median rent of $1,589 vs $1,731 in Wheaton (9% lower). Downers Grove has a owner-occupied of 75.3% compared to 72.6% in Wheaton.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Wheaton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDowners Grove has a poverty rate of 4.9% compared to 5.9% in Wheaton. Wheaton has a unemployment rate of 3.5% compared to 4.0% in Downers Grove. Downers Grove has a per capita income of $67,649 vs $62,785 in Wheaton (7% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Wheaton leads
Source: FBI UCRWheaton has a property crime clearance of 17.9% compared to 6.7% in Downers Grove. Wheaton has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.02 in Downers Grove. Wheaton has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.17 compared to 0.67 in Downers Grove.
Violent 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 BureauDowners Grove has a high school diploma or higher of 51.8% compared to 50.4% in Wheaton. Wheaton has a bachelor's degree or higher of 42.8% compared to 42.0% in Downers Grove.
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 ACSWheaton has a population of 53,453, about 1.1x the size of Downers Grove (49,867). Wheaton skews younger with a median age of 37.6 vs 42.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Wheaton
Downers Grove
Healthcare — Downers Grove leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDowners Grove: 4.0 vs Wheaton: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Wheaton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWheaton has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.1% in Downers Grove. Downers Grove has a public transit of 7.8% compared to 4.6% in Wheaton. Wheaton: 20 min vs Downers Grove: 21 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Wheaton, IL
Compare Wheaton 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.