Boone, NC vs DeKalb, IL

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boone

71.1

#1016 nationally

DeKalb

71.1

#1018 nationally

Boone leads in crime level (2.5 vs 10.8). DeKalb leads in median household income ($47,410 vs $28,242). Boone leads in average commute (13.8 min vs 22.5 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boone, NC	DeKalb, IL
WhereAtHome Score	71.1 (#1016)	71.1 (#1018)
Population	19,811	40,211
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$491,253	$266,477
Median Household Income	$28,242	$47,410
Average Commute	13.8 min	22.5 min
Walk Score	49	38
Crime Level	2.5	10.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	109	98
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+6.0	D+2.0