Durham, NC vs Elgin, 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.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Elgin

72.8

#824 nationally

Elgin leads in walk score (43 vs 33). Elgin leads in median household income ($85,998 vs $67,432). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 28.3 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Elgin, IL
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	72.8 (#824)
Population	283,506	113,310
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$343,260
Median Household Income	$67,432	$85,998
Average Commute	22.8 min	28.3 min
Walk Score	33	43
Crime Level	Moderate	7.3
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	104
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+42.0