Illinois Town Among Best Small Cities In U.S.: Rankings

ILLINOIS — An Illinois city ranked in the top 20 of the Best Small Cities In America, according to WalletHub. Several other Illinois towns ranked further down the list, and one was named No. 1 for having the lowest percentage of its population living in poverty.

Consumer finance site WalletHub said it "compared more than 1,200 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 40 key indicators of livability," including housing costs, school-system quality and restaurants per capita.

Highland Park was Illinois' highest-ranking city, coming in at No. 18. The Lake County city was home to 29,641 people as of 2016. Earlier this year, it was ranked among the nation's top lakefront beach towns, and has previously been named among the best places to live in Illinois and the safest places in the U.S.

WalletHub ranked Highland Park No. 52 for affordability, 165 for economic health, 226 for education and 422 for quality of life.

Meanwhile, Plainfield has the lowest share of the population living in poverty at 1.90 percent, which is 27.1 times lower than in Statesboro, Georgia, the city with the highest at 51.50 percent. Nearby Oswego was No. 3 when it came to lowest percentage of residents living in poverty. On the flip side, another Illinois town — East St. Louis — was the second worst in the country when it came to poverty.

Other Illinois towns that made their way into the best small cities rankings include Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Wilmette, St. Charles, Park Ridge and Northbrook.

What's so great about living in a small city? "One of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively smaller population? Affordability. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in Hanford, California, for instance, would be $6,221 per month, compared with nearly double at $12,370 for the same family in San Francisco."

Here are the 20 Best Small Cities In America, according to WalletHub:

1. Leawood, KS
2. Carmel, IN
3. Princeton, NJ
4. Brentwood, TN
5. Milton, MA
6. Needham, MA
7. Los Altos, CA
8. Littleton, CO
9. Newtwon, MA
10. West Fargo, ND
11. Arlington, MA
12. Melrose, MA
13. Fishers, IN
14. Wellesley, MA
15. Mason, OH
16. Franklin, TN
17. Southlake, TX
18. Highland Park, IL
19. Westport, CT
20. Kirkland, WA

Find the full WalletHub Best Small Cities In America rankings here.

Photo via Park District of Highland Park