The Most In-Demand Suburb in Illinois for 2026 Is Not Near Chicago

If you didn’t know this already, people are moving away from big, expensive cities in favor of smaller suburbs.

The question is, what suburbs are people moving to when they pack up and move out of metropolitan areas?

READ MORE: 5 Illinois Suburbs Named Nation's Top 10 Most Affordable

Sitting in Rockford, I thought maybe The Forest City would be considered a landing spot.

Well, moveBuddha had different ideas. They analyzed search data to identify the most in-demand suburbs in America and compiled a list of 10.

Americans Are Leaving Big Cities: The Suburban Migration Trend Explained

The list included a suburb in Illinois.

I immediately expected it to be some place just outside of Chicago, because why not? Some of those towns are fantastic.

READ MORE: Illinois Suburb is Among America's Elite Living Destinations

How moveBuddha Identified the Most In-Demand Suburbs in America

Turns out it’s not a Chicago suburb that got the recognition here, but one just outside of St. Louis, Edwardsville.

It's Not a Chicago Suburb: Meet Edwardsville, Illinois

Located in southern Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, is also the home to a Southern Illinois University campus. Not the OG campus for SIU, which is in Carbondale, but I digress.

Edwardsville is named the most appealing Illinois suburb for movers in 2026, with a median home price of $314,551 and a 1.52 in-to-out move ratio.

Edwardsville Named Most Appealing Illinois Suburb for Movers in 2026

Edwardsville ranked fifth on the list, with Independence, Missouri, as the top choice.

See the top ten here.