Brea, CA vs North Chicago, IL

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Brea

64.3

#1700 nationally

North Chicago

79.5

#119 nationally

Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $52,011). North Chicago leads in cost of living index (95 vs 178). North Chicago leads in average commute (16.9 min vs 31.1 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	North Chicago, IL
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	79.5 (#119)
Population	48,479	30,416
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$226,134
Median Household Income	$120,226	$52,011
Average Commute	31.1 min	16.9 min
Walk Score	50	36
Crime Level	5.8	4.9
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	95
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	D+20.8