51Alpha

Cook County, IL Housing Market Brief

county · IL · as of May 2026

Balanced

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.

Price Momentum20%
+3.579
Inventory Health25%
-2.647
Affordability20%
20
Economic Strength20%
-0.661
Rental Yield15%
48

Where is Cook County, IL in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Cook County, IL is classified as Growingstrengthening, with scores rising over recent months. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

Cook County, IL housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$390K▲ +5.4%
Median Days on Market46 days-4.2%
Months of Supply2.8-3.4%
Homes for Sale14,057-8.3%
Homes Sold4,963-4.8%
Median Price / Sq Ft$261▲ +7%
Sale-to-List Ratio101.3%▲ +1%

How has Cook County, IL’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 51
3-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Cook County, IL

Frequently asked questions

Is Cook County, IL a buyer's or seller's market?

As of May 2026, Cook County, IL is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 51 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 $390K, having risen 5.4% over the past year.

How affordable is Cook County, IL?

Cook County, IL scores 20 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 (79/100) and its weakest is Affordability (20/100). 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.