Chicago Suburbs Home Values Are Outpacing the City (2026)

Chicago suburbs home values have climbed 17% to 26% since January 2023, according to Zillow Home Value Index data tracked in NeighborScore's property database, while Chicago's own Lincoln Park benchmark ZIP (60614) rose just 11.5% over the same stretch. Winnetka, Hinsdale, and the Naperville-area ZIP codes lead that gap, and each also carries a NeighborScore composite in the high 70s to high 80s out of 100. The spread points to tighter city inventory and steady suburban demand for larger lots and top-rated school districts that Chicago proper cannot replicate at scale.

How Fast Are Chicago Suburb Home Values Rising?

NeighborScore's property_metrics tables track median home prices monthly for every ZIP code, sourced from Zillow's ZHVI data. Comparing January 2023 to the latest available month (March 2026) isolates the period when Chicago-proper appreciation slowed but suburban demand kept building. Winnetka's 60093 ZIP posted the largest gain in this set, up 26.1%, from a median of roughly $1.20 million to $1.52 million. By contrast, the Lincoln Park baseline ZIP 60614 in the city moved from about $570,000 to $636,000 — a real but noticeably slower 11.5% climb. That means North Shore and western-suburb price growth has been running at more than double the city's pace over three years.

The pattern holds across income tiers, not just at the top end. Naperville's 60565 ZIP, a mid-priced DuPage County submarket, rose 24.9% (from about $493,000 to $616,000), nearly matching Winnetka's percentage gain despite a home value less than half as high. Suburbs outpacing Chicago proper aren't limited to the wealthiest enclaves — the trend shows up in $400,000 starter-home ZIP codes just as clearly as in $1.5 million ones.

Top Chicago Suburbs Ranked by Home Value Growth

Ranking the five featured ZIP codes by three-year median price growth, alongside their NeighborScore composite (crime score weighted 53%, school score weighted 47% — value score is shown separately as affordability context, not folded into the score):

1. Winnetka (60093) — median price up 26.1%, from $1,204,770 to $1,519,222. Scores 89/100, the highest composite in this comparison, with a 95 crime score and an 82 school score.
2. Naperville (60565) — median price up 24.9%, from $493,360 to $616,327. Scores 74/100, with a 67 school score reflecting Will/DuPage county-line boundaries rather than school quality shortfalls district-wide.
3. Wilmette (60091) — median price up 24.0%, from $786,610 to $975,276. Scores 75/100, with an 80 crime score and a 70 school score.
4. Hinsdale (60521) — median price up 24.5%, from $975,028 to $1,213,444. Scores 88/100, tied for the second-highest composite here, with a 95 crime score and an 81 school score.
5. Libertyville (60048) — median price up 21.2%, from $511,625 to $619,956. Scores 88/100, matching Hinsdale, with the same 95 crime score and an 81 school score.

Chicago's Lincoln Park ZIP 60614 rose 11.5% over the same window, from $570,230 to $635,906 — even Naperville's more modestly priced 60563 and 60540 ZIPs (up 21.7% and 22.7%) and La Grange's 60525 (up 17.3%) beat that baseline, several by a factor of two.

Are Suburban Homes Selling Faster Than City Listings?

Days-on-market figures for April 2026 add context. Chicago's 60614 ZIP moved fastest of any in this comparison, with listings spending a median of 34 days on market and a 1.048 sale-to-list ratio — still selling above asking. Wilmette's 60091 and Winnetka's 60093 both posted a 35-day median with sale-to-list ratios above 1.0 (1.053 and 1.030, respectively), nearly matching the city's pace despite carrying much higher price points. Hinsdale's 60521 was the slowest-moving market in the set at 52 days with a 0.984 sale-to-list ratio, suggesting its higher price tier (a $1.2 million median) draws a smaller, more deliberate buyer pool even as values keep climbing.

Libertyville's 60048 landed in between at 42 days with a sale-to-list ratio just above par (1.009), consistent with steady but not frantic Lake County demand. None of the five suburb ZIPs are sitting stale on the market — the fastest-appreciating suburbs are moving at a comparable clip to the city, which undercuts the idea that suburban price gains are driven by a handful of slow, overpriced listings skewing the median upward.

What's Driving the City-to-Suburb Value Gap

Zillow Research has documented a broader national pattern of tight for-sale inventory pushing price growth toward markets with more available land and new construction, a dynamic that fits this comparison. Chicago's dense North Side has little room for new single-family supply, while Naperville, Libertyville, and the North Shore suburbs keep adding inventory alongside strong school demand. The US Census Bureau has tracked continued migration from core metro counties toward collar counties like DuPage, Lake, and Will since 2020, consistent with the faster price growth in Naperville- and Libertyville-area ZIP codes.

It's worth separating price growth from affordability here. NeighborScore's value score reframes each ZIP's home price against the state median as an affordability signal, not a quality grade — it explains why Naperville's 60565 (value score 22) still reads as comparatively accessible next to Winnetka's 60093, which carries a value score of just 11 given its seven-figure median price. A ZIP can be appreciating quickly and still be more affordable, in relative terms, than a slower-growing but pricier neighbor. Zillow Research publishes the underlying ZHVI series that NeighborScore's property_metrics table draws from monthly, so these comparisons update as new data arrives.

Buyers weighing a move should read the NeighborScore composite alongside the price trend rather than either number alone. Readers comparing more than one metro can browse NeighborScore's full blog for additional city and suburb breakdowns built the same way.

Bottom Line

Chicago suburbs home values are outpacing the city by a wide margin: Winnetka, Hinsdale, Wilmette, Naperville, and Libertyville ZIP codes all gained 21% to 26% since January 2023, versus 11.5% for Chicago's Lincoln Park baseline ZIP. Days-on-market data shows these suburbs aren't lagging the city in buyer demand either, which points to sustained appreciation rather than a temporary spike. Buyers should weigh each ZIP's NeighborScore composite alongside its price trend and affordability context before deciding where the growth still has room to continue.