Looking to Buy Your First Home in Illinois? Here Are the Top Cities

Only one in four homebuyers in 2024 were first-time homebuyers, which was a historic low. To help people looking to land their first crib, WalletHub took a look at 300 different cities in America to help decide which cities are best for those attempting to leap.

Florida Tops the List, But Not Illinois

If you were hoping a city in Illinois would rank at the top, think again, as none landed in the top 25. The best place to buy a home for the first time is Palm Bay, Florida, based on metrics such as affordability, housing availability, and quality of life.

Best Cities in Illinois for First-Time Buyers

While it is true that some cities in Illinois excel in various metrics for first-time homebuyers, none were ranked highly enough to make the top 30 overall, notably, Springfield was named the 40th best city in America to buy a home and the best in Illinois.

READ MORE: One of the US' Best Towns for First‑Time Homebuyers is in Wisconsin

Illinois Cities That Made the Top 300 List

Here are the nine cities in Illinois that ranked in the top 300 for first-time homebuyers in Illinois, with their nationwide rank following in parentheses:

1. Springfield (40)
2. Joliet (42)
3. Naperville (47)
4. Elgin (54)
5. Waukegan (71)
6. Aurora (75)
7. Peoria (112)
8. Rockford (115)
9. Chicago (222)

READ MORE: Maximize Your Home's Value: Key Strategies For Illinois Sellers

Why Chicago is Ranked So Low for First-Time Buyers

Ranking 296th out of 300 for the real estate market hurt Chicago, and to make matters worse, the quality of life score was 219th. Those two factors alone dropped the Windy City way down the list.