Champaign, IL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Illinois·Champaign

Champaign County · Champaign-Urbana · population 91,961

First-time buyers
Champaign, IL
Image: Wikipedia · Champaign, Illinois
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
76
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Champaign stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.7% in the last year. rents up 5.7% in the last year.

Median home $235,121
1-year +5.7%
5-yr CAGR +6.8%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$235k$139k$174k$209k$245k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
81/100
Excellent for remote work
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
$1,387/mo$948$1,209$1,470202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent139136100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.1
Buy

At a 14.1 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Champaign on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.1 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

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

Champaign has held up across the cycle: home values at $235,121 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

Champaign'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 Champaign

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 91,961. It anchors the Champaign-Urbana metro area. The population grew 1.0% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Champaign is $235,121 as of 2026-04, up 5.7% 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 Champaign average $1,387 per month, up 5.7% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 76 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $235,121 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.8% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +5.7% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.0% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
●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 Champaign (Wikipedia)

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metropolitan area. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents in 2020.

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

City facts

MayorJoan Walls
Area23.14 sq mi
Elevation764 ft
Founded1855 (West Urbana)
Density4032 (est)/sq mi
Named forChampaign County, Ohio, U.S.

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Champaign(Landmarks and districts)

  • City Building
  • Orpheum Theatre
  • Champaign City Building
  • Virginia Theatre
  • Ebertfest
  • Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area
  • Burnham 310

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

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 Champaign County right now.

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

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

Cities like Champaign

Mundelein, IL73 · RisingDeKalb, IL74 · RisingNaperville, IL73 · RisingBuffalo Grove, IL70 · Rising

Run the numbers for Champaign

ToolCan I afford Champaign?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Champaign rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Champaign to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolChampaign 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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Champaign 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 sports teams

Major professional teams the Champaign-Urbana area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

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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