Cook County, IL Housing Market Brief
county · IL · as of August 2026
What is Cook County, IL’s Alpha Score?
The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.
Where is Cook County, IL in its market cycle?
Cook County, IL is classified as Declining — cooling, with scores declining over recent months. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.
What’s the forecast for Cook County, IL?
Our model forecasts Cook County, IL’s home prices to rise about 2.0% over the next 12 months (high confidence).
This is a separate, forward-looking view — not the cycle classification above. See how past forecasts performed on the track record, or the full local forecast with its confidence range on the market page.
Cook County, IL housing market data
| Metric | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Median Sale Price | $396K | ▲ +8.6% |
| Median Days on Market | 49 days | ▼ -3.9% |
| Months of Supply | 2.8 | ▼ -6.7% |
| Homes for Sale | 14,361 | ▼ -4.2% |
| Homes Sold | 5,222 | ▲ +0.1% |
| Median Price / Sq Ft | $259 | ▲ +6.8% |
How has Cook County, IL’s Alpha Score moved?
Markets like Cook County, IL
Frequently asked questions
Is Cook County, IL a buyer's or seller's market?
As of August 2026, Cook County, IL is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 53 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, inventory, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.
Are home prices rising or falling in Cook County, IL?
The median sale price in Cook County, IL is $396K, having risen 8.6% over the past year.
How affordable is Cook County, IL?
Cook County, IL scores 34 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.
What's driving Cook County, IL's Alpha Score?
Cook County, IL's strongest dimension is Price Momentum (81/100) and its weakest is Affordability (34/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.
Want the live, interactive view of Cook County, IL? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.