The Town Files

Glenwood, Illinois

Village in Cook County · population 8,662 (2020 Census)

Map: where Glenwood is in IllinoisGlenwood
Median home
$198,100
Household income
$77,391
Jan low / Jul high
15° / 84°
Snow a year
28 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
46
Median age
43.5

Glenwood is a village of 8,662 people in Cook County, Illinois. The median home is worth $198,100, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 100% of Illinois towns, better transit than 94% of Illinois towns, better for young professionals than 87% of Illinois towns.

Glenwood in our rankings:

How Glenwood ranks

Percentile among Illinois towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Illinois towns.

Glenwood lifestyle rankings vs other Illinois townsRetirement17th pctFamilies8th pctQuiet19th pctWalkability47th pctFirst-time buyers100th pctYoung professionals87th pctVibrancy64th pctHip & trendy39th pctCollege town22nd pctUpscale49th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCycling74th pctTransit94th pctDriving10th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Glenwood is worth $198,100, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). Homes cost about 2.6 times the median household income of $77,391, which is more affordable than 35% of Illinois towns. Median rent is $1,493 a month. 79.0% of households own their home.

Glenwood vs Cook County vs typical Illinois townGlenwoodCook CountyTypical Illinois townHome value$198,100$324,500$156,600Household income$77,391$83,498$72,500Monthly rent$1,493$1,435$960
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Illinois towns with 500+ people.
HousingGlenwoodTypical Illinois town
Median home value$198,100$156,600
Median rent$1,493$960
Median household income$77,391$72,500
Home value ÷ income2.6×2.2×
Homeownership79.0%76.6%
Median year built19681967
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Glenwood

PeopleGlenwoodTypical Illinois town
Median age43.540.4
Age 65 and over19.4%18.7%
Under 1822.2%—
Bachelor's degree or higher39.7%21.8%
Below the poverty line10.6%9.9%
Veterans4.5%—
Born outside the U.S.3.3%—
Work from home9.3%8.9%
Average commute30.2 min26.1 min
Homes with broadband88.0%90.4%

Weather in Glenwood

July highs average 83.9°F and January lows 15.2°F. About 42.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 28.2 inches of snow (typical Illinois town: 24.2 in). Expect about 16 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 126 nights at or below freezing.

Glenwood monthly temperatures and precipitation10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°32° freezing31°15°Jan35°18°Feb46°28°Mar59°38°Apr71°49°May80°59°Jun84°64°Jul82°62°Aug76°55°Sep63°42°Oct48°31°Nov36°22°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue2.510.22.17.52.64.94.00.54.64.94.74.03.43.60.23.00.92.54.0
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Park Forest station (4.8 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

46 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Glenwood since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Illinois town. 12 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on November 12, 1965 about 6.8 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 2 deaths and 127 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on July 27, 2026.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Glenwood by decade31950s81960s31970s31980s01990s62000s42010s192020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 98 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on July 13, 2015.

Severe weather in Cook County since 1996

Storm events in Cook County since 1996 by typeHail577Flood220Tornado49High Wind46Lightning57Heavy Rain61Flash Flood207Winter Storm26
NOAA Storm Events Database, Cook County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 34 deaths recorded.

Cook County has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
September 20, 2024FloodDR-4819: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng
November 20, 2023FloodDR-4749: Severe Storms And Flooding
August 15, 2023Severe StormDR-4728: Severe Storms And Flooding
March 26, 2020BiologicalDR-4489: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3435: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Cook County

Cook County had 2,565,567 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $86,931 a year. Unemployment was 4.4% in 2023; in Glenwood itself the ACS puts it at 17%.

Largest industries in Cook CountyHealth care & social assistan…384,200 jobs · $64,525Professional & technical serv…239,300 jobs · $143,750Hotels & restaurants231,612 jobs · $36,807Retail214,653 jobs · $42,744Administrative & support181,641 jobs · $62,372Manufacturing176,781 jobs · $84,867
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Cook County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023Cook 4.4%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Glenwood

4 public schools with 1,025 students, about 16.0 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
Longwood Elem SchoolPK-434615.7
Hickory Bend Elem SchoolK-427015.0
Brookwood Jr High School7-821618.0
Brookwood Middle School5-619316.1

Towns near Glenwood

Glenwood questions

Is Glenwood, Illinois a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Glenwood scores better for retirees than 17% of Illinois towns and quieter than 19%. 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 43.5).

How much does a house cost in Glenwood?

The median owner-occupied home in Glenwood is valued at $198,100 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $77,391, so homes cost about 2.6 times income. Median rent is $1,493 a month.

What is the weather like in Glenwood?

July highs average 83.9°F and January lows 15.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.1 inches of precipitation a year and 28.2 inches of snow.

Does Glenwood get tornadoes?

46 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Glenwood since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on November 12, 1965. The typical Illinois town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Glenwood's Census boundary (GEOID 1730029). Comparisons use the median of Illinois towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.