Dupage Policy Journal

In Jan. 2007, the average Willowbrook home was worth $305,000.

Eight years later, in Jan. 2015, it was valued at just $182,000.

In real, inflation-adjusted dollars, that’s a fall of 48 percent, the worst of 29 communities in DuPage County, according to an analysis by Local Government Information Services (LGIS).

Homeowner equity in DuPage County is eroding quickly as property taxes soar, driven by surging local government spending and massive municipal debts. Every DuPage County community, including its most-affluent enclaves, saw home values plummet over the past decade.

The best performers were bad. Glen Ellyn, Oakbrook Terrace and Naperville each saw home values fall 19 percent. Wheaton (down 22 percent) and Downers Grove (down 23 percent) counted amont the brighter spots.

In addition to Willowbrook, Bensenville and Glendale Heights (both down 40 percent),  Hanover Park (down 39 percent) and Wood Dale and Addison (both down 37 percent) ranked as the worst performers in DuPage County.

The numbers are particularly startling given record-low interest rates and Illinois’ political environment, currently controlled by public employee unions poised to continue increasing government spending and borrowing.

The net result: property taxes are pressured higher and higher, and property values lower and lower.

Hinsdale home prices fell 25 percent from 2007 to 2015. But over the same period, Hinsdale School District 181 raised its local property tax levy by 20 percent, to $65.23 million. It spent $17,217 per student in 2015-- up from $12,924 in 2007 ($14,733 inflation-adjusted).

Elmhurst home prices also fell 25 percent. But Elmhurst District 205 kept spending, raising its bill to Elmhurst property taxpayers to a record $111.4 million, up 15 percent over the same period.

How much will DuPage County homeowners take before homeownership here is no longer affordable?

Assuming a decline at the same pace as the past eight years, LGIS analysis projected median home values by DuPage community in 2023.

If trends hold up, a Hinsdale home worth $939,000 in 2007 will be worth $684,988 in 2023. And its homeowner will have paid $242,525 in property taxes for the privilege of having their name on the title for a sixteen year period.

LGIS publishes DuPage Policy Journal and 25 more news products across the state, focused on local government transparency.

DuPage County Median Home Prices, 2007 - 2015

Rank	Community	Jan 2007	Jan 2015	%CHG
1	Willowbrook	$348,646	$182,000	-48%
2	Bensenville	$322,354	$193,000	-40%
3	Glendale Heights	$266,342	$161,000	-40%
4	Hanover Park	$264,056	$162,000	-39%
5	Wood Dale	$340,644	$214,000	-37%
6	Addison	$325,789	$206,000	-37%
7	Itasca	$400,085	$261,000	-45%
8	Warrenville	$272,058	$178,000	-35%
9	Bloomingdale	$380,652	$250,000	-34%
10	Medinah	$474,387	$316,000	-33%
11	Westmont	$353,218	$237,000	-33%
12	West Chicago	$298,349	$210,000	-33%
13	Roselle	$326,927	$222,000	-32%
14	Villa Park	$306,351	$209,000	-32%
15	Lombard	$322,354	$221,000	-31%
16	Carol Stream	$313,209	$219,000	-30%
17	Winfield	$357,790	$251,000	-30%
18	Darien	$397,799	$285,000	-28%
19	Woodridge	$314,353	$226,000	-28%
20	Oak Brook	$954,489	$688,000	-28%
21	Clarendon Hills	$595,555	$432,000	-27%
22	Lisle	$352,075	$258,000	-27%
23	Hinsdale	$1.073M	$802,000	-25%
24	Elmhurst	$484,674	$363,000	-25%
25	Downers Grove	$397,799	$308,000	-23%
26	Wheaton	$401,228	$313,000	-22%
27	Oakbrook Terrace	$298,006	$240,000	-19%
28	Naperville	$451,525	$364,000	-19%
29	Glen Ellyn	$437,807	$353,000	-19%

DuPage County 2023 Projected

All numbers are projected 

Rank	Community	2023 Median Taxes Paid	Taxes Paid 2007-23	Taxes Paid %
1	Glendale Heights	$111,249	$109,222	98%
2	Hanover Park	$113,610	$94,349	83%
3	Bensenville	$132,610	$104,089	79%
4	West Chicago	$154,793	$120,278	78%
5	Woodridge	$185,731	$129,453	70%
6	Carol Stream	$175,040	$117,734	67%
7	Addison	$148,898	$99,869	67%
8	Lombard	$173,195	$106,434	61%
9	Bloomingdale	$187,688	$114,400	61%
10	Villa Park	$162,989	$98,648	61%
11	Wood Dale	$153,678	$92,106	60%
12	Itasca	$194,631	$116,510	60%
13	Winfield	$201,281	$119,677	59%
14	Warrenville	$133,126	$74,902	56%
15	Roselle	$172,322	$96,614	56%
16	Lisle	$216,117	$115,171	53%
17	Westmont	$181,777	$95,558	53%
18	Glen Ellyn	$325,350	$162,098	50%
19	Darien	$233,405	$112,632	48%
20	Clarendon Hills	$358,203	$171,937	48%
21	Wheaton	$279,114	$133,714	48%
22	Elmhurst	$310,776	$145,200	47%
23	Willowbrook	$108,603	$50,086	46%
24	Medinah	$240,617	$107,693	45%
25	Naperville	$335,433	$142,688	43%
26	Downers Grove	$272,598	$105,459	39%
27	Oakbrook Terrace	$220,944	$85,248	39%
28	Hinsdale	$684,988	$242,525	35%
29	Oak Brook	$566,879	$137,600	24%

DuPage County School Spending, 2007-15

Rank	School District	2007 Spend	2015 Spend	CHG
1	Indian Prairie CUSD 204 (Aurora)	$121,689,779	$283,191,789	133%
2	Maercker SD 60 (Westmont)	$8,191,890	$17,978,645	119%
3	Glen Ellyn SD 41	$23,544,579	$46,340,319	97%
4	Hinsdale CCSD 181 (Clarendon Hills)	$33,566,324	$65,227,460	94%
5	Marquardt SD 15 (Glendale Heights)	$18,258,977	$33,927,993	86%
6	Winfield SD 34	$3,087,255	$5,463,973	77%
7	Bensenville SD 2	$15,845,043	$27,754,625	75%
8	CCSD 93 (Bloomingdale)	$31,576,105	$55,306,579	75%
9	Queen Bee SD 16 (Glendale Heights)	$12,110,421	$20,541,403	69%
10	Woodridge SD 68	$21,950,044	$36,895,490	68%
11	Lombard SD 44	$28,038,293	$46,752,929	67%
12	West Chicago ESD 33	$22,797,284	$37,340,797	64%
13	CCSD 180 (Burr Ridge)	$5,639,442	$8,250,952	46%
14	Naperville CUSD 203	$166,379,282	$238,325,886	43%
15	Elmhurst SD 205	$78,656,127	$111,209,644	41%
16	Lisle CUSD 202	$20,950,778	$29,501,020	41%
17	Benjamin SD 25 (West Chicago)	$7,917,459	$11,012,972	39%
18	CHSD 94 (West Chicago)	$19,895,054	$27,004,782	36%
19	Gower SD 62 (Willowbrook)	$10,373,603	$14,050,052	35%
20	Lake Park CHSD 108 (Roselle)	$37,166,652	$49,807,528	34%
21	Center Cass SD 66 (Downers Grove)	$9,158,472	$11,988,158	31%
22	Glenbard Twp HSD 87 (Glen Ellyn)	$97,846,795	$127,319,557	30%
23	CUSD 200 (Wheaton)	$115,569,852	$150,290,718	30%
24	Hinsdale Twp HSD 86 (Hinsdale)	$63,612,538	$82,373,660	29%
25	Addison SD 4	$25,654,765	$32,905,081	28%
26	CHSD 99 (Downers Grove)	$65,981,548	$83,249,398	26%
27	Downers Grove GSD 58	$43,793,178	$54,986,219	26%
28	CCSD 89 (Glen Ellyn)	$21,626,407	$27,024,932	25%
29	CUSD 201 (Westmont)	$19,088,008	$23,793,827	25%
30	DuPage HSD 88 (Addison)	$51,554,456	$63,840,376	24%
31	Bloomingdale SD 13	$13,754,653	$16,894,095	23%
32	Roselle SD 12	$6,582,126	$7,876,080	20%
33	Cass SD 63 (Darien)	$8,215,829	$9,561,872	16%
34	Butler SD 53 (Oak Brook)	$8,696,654	$10,090,654	16%
35	Fenton CHSD 100 (Bensenville)	$22,682,073	$26,244,672	16%
36	SD 45 DuPage County (Villa Park)	$31,350,112	$36,039,453	15%
37	Keeneyville SD 20 (Hanover Park)	$13,156,252	$14,969,442	14%
38	Itasca SD 10	$10,713,397	$12,055,466	13%
39	Salt Creek SD 48 (Villa Park)	$8,713,635	$9,767,261	12%
40	Wood Dale SD 7	$11,858,174	$12,709,798	7%
41	DarienSD 61	$14,975,132	$15,371,505	3%
42	Medinah SD 11 (Roselle)	$9,375,417	$9,004,628	-4%

Sources: Local Government Information Services (LGIS), Zillow.com, Blockshopper.com, Chicago Tribune, Illinois State Board of Education. All 2007 numbers are inflation-adjusted.