Housing data for Blue Island, IL
Blue Island, IL has an estimated 21,741 residents and 8,997 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Cook County.
48.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,072 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−3.8%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 21,741 (±526)
- Housing units
- 8,997 (±540)
- Households that rent
- 48.2%
- Median gross rent
- $1,072
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −3.8%
What stands out in Blue Island
Median home value: $178,700 (±$13,106) in Blue Island, lower than in Cook County ($324,500).
Working from home: 8.2% (±2.8 points) in Blue Island, lower than in Cook County (18.9%).
Median gross rent: $1,072 (±$43) in Blue Island, lower than in Cook County ($1,435).
Median household income: $59,489 (±$8,134) in Blue Island, lower than in Cook County ($83,498).
- Home values in Blue Island
- Commute and cars in Blue Island
- Median rent in Blue Island
- Income and affordability in Blue Island
Housing in Blue Island at a glance
- Median rent: $1,072 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,110 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 50.9% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 48.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $59,489 median household income
- Home values: $178,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,683 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,550 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 29.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 46.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 74.3% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 1.7% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 80.7% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 29.0 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 291 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −3.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 22.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 4.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $1,500 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 60406)
Blue Island against Cook County, its state and the nation
| Blue Island | Cook County | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 21,741 (±526) | 5,182,090 (exact) | 12,694,798 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 8,997 (±540) | 2,276,493 (±389) | 5,457,452 (±471) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 48.2% (±4.9 points) | 42.3% (±0.3 points) | 32.9% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,072 (±$43) | $1,435 (±$7) | $1,274 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $59,489 (±$8,134) | $83,498 (±$630) | $83,390 (±$362) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $178,700 (±$13,106) | $324,500 (±$1,460) | $263,300 (±$797) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,550 (±$469) | $6,191 (±$30) | $5,298 (±$22) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 74.3% (±7.7 points) | 73.3% (±0.4 points) | 63.4% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 29.0 minutes (±2.3) | 31.5 minutes (±0.2) | 27.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 89.6% (±3.2 points) | 90.6% (±0.2 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 38.1 years (±2.4) | 38.0 years (±0.1) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Blue Island covers 4.1 square miles of land, about 5,340 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Blue Island has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,611 (±509) | 21,741 (±526) | −3.8% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 8,946 (±447) | 8,997 (±540) | +0.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $867 (±$42) | $1,072 (±$43) | +23.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $122,700 (±$5,226) | $178,700 (±$13,106) | +45.6% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $48,398 (±$2,774) | $59,489 (±$8,134) | +22.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,470 (±$90) | $1,683 (±$101) | +14.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,868 (±$236) | $4,550 (±$469) | +17.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 50.6% (±3.9 points) | 48.2% (±4.9 points) | −2.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.5% (±2.2 points) | 1.7% (±2.0 points) | −2.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Blue Island
In 2025, the Blue Island Police Department reported 291 violent and 2,088 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Cook County, the departments that report recorded 294 violent and 2,162 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Blue Island
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60406 | 74% | 23,327 | $1,084 | $175,200 | $56,557 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Blue Island
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet Township | 1.2 mi | $1,113 | $185,000 | 54.3% |
| Calumet Park | 1.3 mi | $1,288 | $184,700 | 45.0% |
| Robbins | 1.7 mi | $1,553 | $121,300 | 41.0% |
| Dixmoor | 1.8 mi | $1,272 | $84,400 | 33.9% |
| Merrionette Park | 1.9 mi | $1,296 | $173,400 | 27.0% |
| Posen | 2.0 mi | $1,372 | $172,900 | 32.9% |
| Riverdale | 2.6 mi | $1,231 | $113,800 | 48.5% |
| Alsip | 3.0 mi | $1,140 | $225,000 | 35.8% |
Places in Illinois most like Blue Island
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan Township | $1,135 | $176,300 | $66,896 | 50.8% |
| Waukegan | $1,205 | $190,900 | $71,919 | 49.8% |
| Calumet Township | $1,113 | $185,000 | $49,861 | 54.3% |
| Alsip | $1,140 | $225,000 | $66,585 | 35.8% |
| Calumet City | $1,177 | $145,200 | $55,369 | 44.3% |
| Melrose Park | $1,176 | $275,800 | $66,189 | 43.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Illinois.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Blue Island, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,678 | $1,780 | $2,011 | $2,586 | $2,954 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Blue Island, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25,550 | $42,550 | $68,050 |
| 2 people | $29,200 | $48,600 | $77,800 |
| 3 people | $32,850 | $54,700 | $87,500 |
| 4 people | $36,450 | $60,750 | $97,200 |
| 5 people | $39,400 | $65,650 | $105,000 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $70,500 | $112,800 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $75,350 | $120,550 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $80,200 | $128,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $121,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Blue Island
What is the average rent in Blue Island, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Blue Island is $1,072 (±$43) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Blue Island?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Blue Island, IL is $950 (±$67) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Blue Island rent-burdened?
50.9% of renting households in Blue Island pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Blue Island?
Blue Island has an estimated 4,081 (±526) renting households, 48.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Blue Island?
The median household income in Blue Island is $59,489 (±$8,134) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Blue Island, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $178,700 (±$13,106) for owner-occupied homes in Blue Island (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Blue Island growing?
In Blue Island, the number of residents went from 22,611 in 2015–2019 to 21,741 in 2020–2024 (−3.8%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Blue Island?
The ZIP code that covers Blue Island is 60406.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 60406?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 60406 is $1,084 (±$41) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Island city, Illinois
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Blue Island Police Department (ORI IL0161000)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Blue Island city, Illinois (place:06704, in state:17).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .