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City · 21,741 residents · Cook County, Illinois

Blue Island , Illinois

In Blue Island, a typical home is worth $178,700 and typical rent is $1,072 a month. Compared with all of Cook County, the typical home value is 45% lower, typical household income is 29% lower, and the share of households that own their home is 6 points lower.

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  • Typical home value

    $178,700

    45% below the county

    32% below Illinois

    • Blue Island
    • Cook
    • Illinois

  • Typical rent

    $1,072a month

    25% below the county

    16% below Illinois

    • Blue Island
    • Cook
    • Illinois

  • Typical household income

    $59,489a year

    29% below the county

    29% below Illinois

    • Blue Island
    • Cook
    • Illinois

  • Households that own their home

    52%

    6 points below the county

    15 points below Illinois

    • Blue Island
    • Cook
    • Illinois

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

Market now, with Zillow data

Zillow data
Typical home value
$207,855
5.9% more than 12 months ago
Typical rent
$1,420 a month

From Zillow (ZHVI/ZORI), September 2026. The Census figures above are 5-year averages (2020–2024).

Blue Island is in Cook County. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Cook County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets Blue Island apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. The typical home in Blue Island is worth $178,700, 45% less than in Cook County as a whole ($324,500).

  2. Nearby, in Riverdale, the typical home value is $113,800: 36% less than in Blue Island ($178,700).

  3. Blue Island has the 16th lowest homeownership rate of the 337 cities in Illinois with more than 5,000 people (52%).

  4. The typical household income in Blue Island is $59,489, 29% less than in Cook County as a whole ($83,498).

  5. The typical rent in Blue Island is $1,072 a month, 25% less than in Cook County as a whole ($1,435).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in Blue Island

What homes there are in Blue Island, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

No kind of home is the majority in Blue Island; the largest group, detached houses, adds up to 44%, against 40% in Cook County.

In Blue Island there are many mobile homes: 5% of homes; in Cook County, 1%.

Year built

By age, homes in Blue Island look like those in Cook County: the typical year built is 1961.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes

The FHA limit for Cook County is high ($541,287): at least 98% of owner-occupied homes in Blue Island are worth less than $500,000.

Monthly rent with utilities

With a mortgage

$1,683 a month

Cook County: $2,270 a month

Without a mortgage

$726 a month

Cook County: $910 a month

Owners with a mortgage

55%

Cook County: 62%

The typical cost for an owner with a mortgage in Blue Island is $1,683 a month, less than in Cook County ($2,270); without one, $726.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

Since 2015–2019, homes in Blue Island gained value faster than in Cook County: 46% against 32%.

The typical rent in Blue Island rose 24% over the same time; in Cook County, it rose 28%.

While home values in Blue Island changed +46% and rent +24%, the typical household income rose 23%.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureBlue IslandCook CountyIllinoisUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimate4.5%5.0%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimate1.1%1.0%0.9%
More than one person per room 4.5%3.3%2.5%3.4%
People per household 2.562.432.462.53
Drive alone 69%55%66%69%
Carpool 12%8%8%9%
Public transit 8%12%6%3%
Walk or bike Unreliable estimate5%3%3%
Work from home 8%19%16%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate2%1%2%
Typical commute Unreliable estimate30 to 39 minutes20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes

In Blue Island, 4.5% of households live with more than one person per room, against 3.3% in Cook County.

Households in Blue Island are bigger: 2.56 people on average; in Cook County, 2.43.

In Blue Island, 12% of workers share a car to get to work; in Cook County, 8%.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in Blue Island?

A typical home is tight for the typical income

We start with a typical home in Blue Island, worth $178,700, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 35% of the typical household income in Blue Island, which is $59,489 a year. For that payment to be 28% of income, a household would need to earn about $73,795 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Cook County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in Blue Island. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $6,255 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$1,722

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$175,463
Total interest
$252,450
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $3,018 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $1,388 a month

  • Tight

    $1,388 to $1,785 a month

    Your payment · 35%

  • Hard

    more than $1,785 a month

Compared with the typical household income in Blue Island ($59,489 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$1,722
Principal & interest$1,189
Property tax$380
Home insurance$75
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$79

You need at least $6,255 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

Blue Island and Cook County

Blue Island is in Cook County, Illinois. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

Blue Island's own numbers

Typical home value
$178,700
Typical monthly rent
$1,072
Typical yearly household income
$59,489
Households that own their home
52%
Effective property tax rate
2.55%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Cook County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$832,750
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$2,011
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+42%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
1%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Cook County.

Everything about Cook County

Buying

Buying a home in Blue Island

A typical home in Blue Island is worth $178,700: 45% below the county and 32% below Illinois. With the typical household income in Blue Island ($59,489 a year), a typical home costs 3.0 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • Blue Island 3.0 years
  • Cook 3.9 years
  • Illinois 3.2 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Cook County

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Cook County rose 61% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Cook County.

Period County Illinois U.S.
Last year (2025) +5.5% +5.7% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +42% +47% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +61% +65% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

Blue Island next to Cook County, Illinois and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • Blue Island $178,700
  • Cook $324,500
  • Illinois $263,300
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • Blue Island $1,072
  • Cook $1,435
  • Illinois $1,274
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • Blue Island $59,489
  • Cook $83,498
  • Illinois $83,390
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
Blue Island next to Cook County and Illinois
Measure Blue Island Cook County Illinois U.S.
Typical home value $178,700 $324,500 $263,300 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $1,072 $1,435 $1,274 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $59,489 $83,498 $83,390 $80,734
Households that own their home 52% 58% 67% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $4,550 $6,191 $5,298 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 2.55% 1.91% 2.01% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 51% 49% 48% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Cook County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in Blue Island

For a typical $178,700 home in Blue Island, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, Blue Island's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $1,722a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $6,255
    Cash to close
    $11,616
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $79

  • Conventional, 5% down $1,689a month

    Down payment
    $8,935
    Cash to close
    $14,296
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $85

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $1,423a month

    Down payment
    $35,740
    Cash to close
    $41,101
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $1,588a month

    Down payment
    $26,805
    Cash to close
    $32,166
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for Blue Island and for Cook County.

Property tax

Effective rate in Blue Island

2.55%of the home’s value each year

$4,550 a year for the typical owner in Blue Island.

  • Blue Island 2.55%
  • Cook 1.91%
  • Illinois 2.01%

What Illinois publishes General Homestead Exemption (Illinois Department of Revenue)

Exemptions and deadlines in Illinois

Flood risk in Cook County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Cook County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
1%
12,558
Of those, with NFIP insurance
32%
County Illinois U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 1% 1.5% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 32% 25% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in Blue Island

Typical rent in Blue Island is $1,072 a month: 25% below the county. In Blue Island, 51% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Cook County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($2,011 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $38.67 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Cook County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $1,678 $32.27 $67,120
1 bedroom $1,780 $34.23 $71,200
2 bedrooms $2,011 $38.67 $80,440
3 bedrooms $2,586 $49.73 $103,440
4 bedrooms $2,954 $56.81 $118,160

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in Blue Island

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). Blue Island is in ZIP code 60406.

For 2 bedrooms it is $1,500: $511 less than the fair market rent for Cook County ($2,011).

  • 60406 $1,500$1,930

1 of these ZIP codes crosses the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for Blue Island when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Low-income apartments

Low-income apartments in Blue Island

HUD lists one building with rents for lower incomes in Blue Island.

  • Senior Suites of Blue Island 13201 Ashland Ave, Blue Island 60406 90 low-income homes · Studio: 2 · 1 bd: 88 · In service since 2010

See all 946 buildings in Cook County Source: HUD, Retrieved November 6, 2026

Free help

Help to buy or rent in Blue Island

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

There are 42 HUD-approved agencies with an office in Cook County; 19 say they serve in Spanish.

A grandmother pushes her grandson on a playground swing.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in Blue Island

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for Blue Island or Cook County. The ones below are statewide in Illinois: they work in Blue Island the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Illinois

  • IHDAccess Home

    Statewide in Illinois

    Limited funds remain, per the source

    IHDA second loan with deferred payments for first-time buyers in Illinois. Offered by Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).

    Deferred

    See the program Official page

  • IHDAccess Forgivable

    Statewide in Illinois

    Limited funds remain, per the source

    IHDA second loan forgiven little by little over ten years, for the down payment in Illinois. Offered by Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).

    Forgivable

    See the program Official page

  • IHDAccess Deferred

    Statewide in Illinois

    Limited funds remain, per the source

    IHDA second loan with no payments until you sell or refinance, for the down payment in Illinois. Offered by Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).

    Deferred

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near Blue Island

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of Blue Island, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Far South Community Development Corporation

    837 W 115th St, Chicago · 3 miles away · Spanish

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Mortgage delinquency workshops
    • and 9 more
    (773) 831-7107

  • Ceda - Harvey

    53 E 154th St, Harvey · 4 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Mortgage delinquency workshops
    • and 8 more
    (312) 288-8010

  • Nid-Hca Webber

    9263 S Ml King Dr, Chicago · 6 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Mortgage delinquency workshops
    • and 6 more
    (773) 429-1600

Every agency in Cook County All counseling agencies in Illinois

Help in Spanish near Blue Island

1 of the 3 agencies on this list says it serves in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of Blue Island

HUD’s record names them for Blue Island or Cook County. They run public housing or Section 8 vouchers. Ask whether their waiting list is open.

  • Housing Authority Cook County Public housing and Section 8 vouchers (312) 542-4721

5 other authorities have an office in Cook County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Cook County

These cities are also in Cook County. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Cook County Housing in Illinois
See 84 more cities in Cook County, with prices and rents

Every city has its own page with prices, rents and help.

Nearby cities

The cities closest to Blue Island, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Cook County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in Blue Island.

All guides
A father smiles as he carries his baby on his shoulders outdoors.

Questions

Housing questions about Blue Island

Short answers with the numbers for Blue Island and all of Cook County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in Blue Island?

The typical home value in Blue Island is $178,700, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Cook County it is $324,500.

How much does it cost to rent in Blue Island?

Typical rent in Blue Island is $1,072 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Cook County is $2,011.

What is the FHA loan limit in Blue Island?

Blue Island uses the FHA limit for all of Cook County (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in Blue Island?

The typical homeowner in Blue Island pays $4,550 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 2.55% of the home’s value; in Cook County, the rate is 1.91%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in Blue Island?

There are 42 HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Cook County. 19 say they serve in Spanish. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).