Buffalo Grove, IL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Illinois·Buffalo Grove

Lake County · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin · population 43,072

Buffalo Grove, IL
Image: Wikipedia · Buffalo Grove, Illinois
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Buffalo Grove stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.6% in the last year.

Median home $443,193
1-year +5.6%
5-yr CAGR +6.8%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$443k$266k$331k$396k$461k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
76/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,276/mo$1,652$2,035$2,418202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent129130100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 16.2
Lean buy

At a 16.2 price-to-rent ratio, Buffalo Grove is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
77 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
73 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
44 · w16%
Rent YoY
64 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
58 · w10%
Long thesis

Buffalo Grove has held up across the cycle: home values at $443,193 with +6.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Buffalo Grove's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Buffalo Grove

Buffalo Grove is a city in Lake County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 43,072. It anchors the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. The median home value in Buffalo Grove is $443,193 as of 2026-04, up 5.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.8% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Buffalo Grove average $2,276 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.8%). The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.8% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +5.6% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Buffalo Grove (Wikipedia)

Buffalo Grove is a village in Lake and Cook Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Downtown Chicago and 20 miles (32 km) north of O'Hare International Airport. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It totals 9.6 square miles (25 km2) of land, with the top three-quarters in Lake County and the bottom quarter in Cook County. Roads in the village such as Lake Cook Road and Illinois Route 83 converge on I-294. It is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Lake County right now.

NWS active alerts (IL)Illinois Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Lake County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Buffalo Grove

Gurnee, IL69 · RisingVernon Hills, IL71 · RisingWheaton, IL68 · RisingDeKalb, IL74 · Rising

Run the numbers for Buffalo Grove

ToolCan I afford Buffalo Grove?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Buffalo Grove rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Buffalo Grove to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBuffalo Grove cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 18°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
85° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
189
~52% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
22″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Buffalo Grove listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$78,400
Illinois state median
Top industries (state-level)
FinanceManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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