Cook County · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin · population 56,531
Where Oak Lawn stands
At or near all-time high. home values up 6.0% in the last year. population shrinking 0.8% per year. rents up 6.0% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
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 · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 13.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Oak Lawn on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Oak Lawn has held up across the cycle: home values at $286,028 with +5.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Oak Lawn's population is shrinking 0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.
About Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 56,531. It anchors the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. The population has contracted 0.8% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Oak Lawn is $286,028 as of 2026-04, up 6.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.5% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Oak Lawn average $1,762 per month, up 6.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 71 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Oak Lawn (Wikipedia)
Oak Lawn is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 22nd-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 58,362 as of the 2020 census. Oak Lawn was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in 1909. The village serves as a major medical and economic anchor for the southwest suburbs, notably hosting Advocate Christ Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals and Level I trauma centers in the state of Illinois.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Playbook
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.
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.
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 Cook County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Cook County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Cities like Oak Lawn
Run the numbers for Oak Lawn
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
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
Find rentals & listings
Open current Oak Lawn listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- Share Obituary for Arlene Jillson | Downers Grove, ILneptunesociety.com · 5d ago
- 69-Year-Old Man Dies In Oak Lawn Trailer FirePatch · 1w ago
- Earl R. Fleischfresser Obituary (2026) – Oak Lawn, IL – Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home – Oak LawnLegacy · 1d ago
- 9522 S 53rd Ave Unit 3N, Oak Lawn, IL 60453Realtor.com · 1w ago
- Dana Schaab Obituary – Oak Lawn, ILDignity Memorial · 1w ago
- Woman, 76, found dead in Oak Lawn, Illinois, home; police identify person of interestCBS News · 1mo ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
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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