Downers Grove, Illinois, Named One of the 50 Best Small Cities in America
Downers Grove ranks No. 17 on Livability.com’s first-ever national list – recognized for quality of life, affordability and community
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Downers Grove, Illinois, ranks No. 17 on Livability.com’s inaugural list of the 50 Best Small Cities in America. The data-driven ranking recognizes U.S. cities with populations between 15,000 and 75,000 that offer the highest quality of life at an attainable cost.
Livability evaluated more than 2,000 cities nationwide using a proprietary algorithm built on nearly 100 data points. Downers Grove is one of three Illinois cities to make the list. Daphne, Alabama, earned the No. 1 spot overall.
“We wanted to celebrate the small cities that offer so much to residents but are often overlooked because of their size,” says Amanda Ellis, Livability.com editor-in-chief. “Downers Grove is a great example. It earned top scores for health, education and safety, and its walkable downtown is the heart of community life.”
Why Downers Grove, IL, Made the List
Downers Grove scored especially well in the Health, Education and Safety categories. The village is known for its lively downtown: residents can enjoy local shops, restaurants and year-round events, then hop on the train for an easy ride into Chicago.
We’ve created a digital badge to help Downers Grove celebrate this national ranking on your website and social media channels. Let us know if you’d like the files, and please tag @Livability when you share the news.
How the Ranking Works
Livability.com partners with the data experts at Applied Geographic Solutions (AGS) to analyze quality of life in U.S. cities. The 50 Best Small Cities list draws on nearly 100 data points across eight categories: Economy, Housing & Cost of Living, Amenities, Transportation, Environment, Safety, Education and Health.
Because housing costs remain a top concern for people choosing where to live, the algorithm weighs affordability more heavily. The algorithm considered only cities with a median home value under $550,000, and places where home prices and rents align well with local incomes scored higher.
See the Full List
Downers Grove’s complete data profile is available at https://livability.com/il/downers-grove/?top-50-sc=2026.
The full list of 50 cities and detailed methodology can be found here.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Amanda Ellis, Editor-in-Chief, Livability.com
aellis@livability.com
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About Livability.com
Livability.com highlights the best small to mid-sized cities and what makes them great places to live, work and visit. Through exclusive research and original content, we examine affordability, cultural amenities, talent attraction and more, celebrating cities’ accomplishments through rankings, our annual Top 100 Best Places to Live and articles exploring the who, what, why and how behind the “where.” Livability is a division of Journal Communications, Inc., based in Franklin, TN. |
