Western Springs Among Most Costly For Housing

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs is often described as a bedroom community with few businesses.

Those bedrooms are expensive by state standards.

In the last decade, the number of affordable housing units in Western Springs has nearly doubled, to 95.

That figures to 2.1 percent of the total 4,510 housing units, according to an Illinois Housing Development Authority report. That is less than Hinsdale, which is at 3.7 percent.

In 2013, the affordable housing rate was 1.2 percent in Western Springs.

Of more than 1,300 towns in Illinois, Western Springs ranks as having the eighth-lowest affordable rate, the state report said. As of 2022, the median price for a Western Springs housing unit was $681,000.

To determine affordable housing rates, the state calculates the number of owner-occupied units that are affordable to households with incomes less than 80 percent of a metro area's median. The threshold is less than 60 percent for rental units.

State law requires towns with low affordable housing rates to turn in plans to increase less costly housing stock. Western Springs has met that requirement, while Hinsdale has not.

Here are the percentages of affordable housing in selected towns over the last decade:

Here are the numbers of affordable housing units out of the total units in selected towns over the last decade:

n.a.: not available

Source: Illinois Housing Development Authority