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

All states·Illinois·Peoria

Peoria County · Peoria · population 111,696

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

Where Peoria stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 6.9% in the last year. averaging 8.2% annual growth over 5 years.

Median home $132,671
1-year +6.9%
5-yr CAGR +8.2%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$133k$74k$95k$117k$138k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
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
74/100
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
$1,144/mo$711$962$1,213202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent148151100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 9.7
Buy

At a 9.7 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Peoria on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 9.7 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
81 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
80 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
40 · w16%
Rent YoY
49 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
58 · w10%
Long thesis

Peoria has averaged 8.2% annual appreciation over five years and the trend is still live (+6.9% in the last 12 months). When a momentum trade keeps working, the simplest explanation is usually correct: more people want in.

Short thesis

Peoria'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 Peoria

Peoria is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 111,696. The median home value in Peoria is $132,671 as of 2026-04, up 6.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +8.2% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Peoria average $1,144 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.6%). The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Multi-year compounder: home values up an average 8.2% per year over the last 5 years — sustained, not a one-year pop.
●Trend still working: prices up 6.9% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.
●Affordable AND rising: median home $132,671 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.3% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Peoria (Wikipedia)

Peoria is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in Illinois. It is the principal city of the Peoria metropolitan area in Central Illinois, consisting of Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford counties and had a combined population of 402,391 in 2020.

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

City facts

MayorRita Ali
Area50.55 sq mi
Elevation712 ft
Settled1691
Density2359/sq mi
Named forPeoria people

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

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 Peoria County right now.

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

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

Neighborhoods of Peoria

4 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Downtown Peoria$116,913-12.5%
2West Bluff$82,278+3.7%
3East Bluff$74,046+3.9%
4North Valley$41,406+8.5%

Cities like Peoria

Waukegan, IL74 · RisingBelvidere, IL75 · RisingZion, IL77 · RisingNorth Chicago, IL77 · Rising

Run the numbers for Peoria

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