Barrington · Lake County · IL
Homes for sale in
Barrington.
- Active listings
- 49
- Median list
- $650K
- Avg time on market
- 16 days
- Sold · last year
- 278
Active listings
49 homes on the market
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About the community
Living in Barrington.
Barrington is the historic anchor village of the Barrington area, a downtown surrounded by six separately incorporated Barringtons that share schools and identity. The village itself straddles Cook and Lake counties (county field set to Lake per Subdiview's data model), with a walkable downtown built around the Metra UP-NW Barrington station, which still offers express service to Ogilvie Transportation Center in roughly 50 minutes. The Barrington 220 unified K-12 school district is consistently one of the top-rated systems in the northwest suburbs, serving every Barrington-area village from a single high school campus. Population is about 10,722 (2020 Census) and median household income is just under $148,000. If you want a downtown with real character, top schools, and a commuter train that actually works, Barrington is the standard.
At a glance
~10,722 residents
Mid-size historic village. 2020 Census population.
Barrington 220 unified K-12
About 8,000 students across 12 schools. Barrington High School is the single district HS for the entire Barrington area.
Metra UP-NW Barrington station
201 S Spring Street, 31.9 miles to Ogilvie Transportation Center. Express service runs about 50 minutes to downtown.
Two-county footprint
Village straddles Cook and Lake counties. Property tax rates run differently on each side.
Historic downtown district
Walkable village core along Hough and Cook Streets, listed historic district. Anchored by the 1927 Catlow Theater.
US 14, IL 59, IL 22, IL 68
US 14 (Northwest Highway) is the main downtown arterial. IL 22 (Lake-Cook Road) and IL 68 (Dundee Road) bracket the area.
Conservation-minded area
Citizens for Conservation has protected hundreds of acres since 1971. Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve is just east of the village.
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
176-bed acute care hospital at 450 W. Highway 22 just west of the village, more than 750 physicians across 62 specialties.
What’s close
Barrington sits about 32 miles northwest of downtown Chicago at the meeting point of Cook and Lake counties, anchored by its Metra station and a walkable historic downtown.
- Downtown Barrington (Hough & Cook)
- Historic commercial core listed on the National Register. Anchored by the 1927 Catlow Theater and the downtown depot.
- Metra UP-NW Barrington Station
- 201 S Spring Street, 31.9 miles from Ogilvie, express service to downtown in about 50 minutes.
- Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
- 450 W. Highway 22. 176-bed acute care hospital just west of the village.
- Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve
- 782-acre Lake County preserve just east of the village, three miles of trails through wetland and oak savanna.
- Crabtree Nature Center
- 1,182-acre Cook County preserve at 3 Stover Road, six miles southwest of downtown.
- Barrington High School
- Flagship of Barrington 220 and the single high school for the entire Barrington area. Drives the buyer demand for the whole feeder pattern.
What it’s actually like to live here
Barrington's character starts with the downtown, a walkable grid of shops, restaurants, and the 1927 Catlow Theater built around the Metra depot rather than a strip-mall arterial. What makes the place distinctive in the Chicago suburbs is the Barrington area concept: six separately incorporated villages (Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, South Barrington, Lake Barrington, and Tower Lakes) share the Barrington 220 school district and a common identity, while keeping their own municipal governments and very different zoning. Barrington Hills' 5-acre minimum, in place since 1963, has preserved the equestrian and open-space tradition that defines the look of the broader area. The result is a town where you can live in a downtown bungalow within walking distance of the train, or on a wooded multi-acre estate ten minutes away, and your kids go to the same high school.
The Metra UP-NW Barrington station is the practical reason a lot of families pick this town, with express service that puts Ogilvie inside an hour and parking right at the depot. Barrington 220 is consistently among the highest-rated districts in the northwest suburbs, anchored by Barrington High School and feeding from two middle schools and eight elementaries. Country-club Barrington runs expensive, with median home values pulled up by the surrounding estate areas, but the village proper has plenty of mid-priced downtown stock and 1,400 square foot Cape Cods within walking distance of the train. The 2024 Data USA median household income was just under $148,000, and the 2020 Census median age was 44.5, which tracks with a town built for families and long-tenure residents.
Neighborhoods
Barrington neighborhoods
2 neighborhoods in Barrington, each with its own page covering market stats, schools, and what the buyers there are optimizing for. Featured neighborhoods have hand-curated content; the rest auto- update from MRED listing data.
Barrington Village
The historic, walkable core of the Village of Barrington, steps from the downtown Metra and shops, with one-of-a-kind older homes and new infill, all inside Barrington 220 schools.
12 active~$645,000FeaturedFox Point
An established Barrington community of roughly 411 homes with its own private lake, pool, and tennis, mature tree-lined streets, and top-rated Barrington District 220 schools.
3 active~$825,000Featured
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC for the period September 13, 2025 through September 13, 2026. Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC does not guarantee nor is it in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Schools
Districts serving Barrington.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D220Grades K to 12
Barrington Community Unit School District 220
Schools serving the area
- Barrington High School
- Station Middle School
- Prairie Middle School
- Arnett C. Lines Elementary
- Hough Street Elementary
Unified K-12 district covering Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, South Barrington, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, plus portions of Inverness, Deer Park, Port Barrington, Carpentersville, Hoffman Estates, and Fox River Grove. 12 schools, about 8,000 students.
Homes by school
Homes for sale by school in Barrington
Around town
What there is to do in Barrington.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Culture
Catlow Theater
Historic single-screen theater opened 1927 in downtown Barrington, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration is in progress under the Catlow 1927 Foundation.
- Parks
Flint Creek Savanna
Citizens for Conservation's largest preserve at 159+ acres with restored savanna, creek, wetland, and prairie habitats along Flint Creek.
- Parks
Langendorf Park
Home of the Barrington Park District. Aqualusion outdoor pool, par-3 golf course, ball fields, splashpad, and the Fitness & Recreation Center at 235 Lions Drive.
- Culture
Barrington's White House
1898 mansion at 145 W. Main Street, restored and reopened 2015 as a community cultural arts center hosting concerts, lectures, and exhibitions.
- Food & Drink
Francesca's Famiglia
Italian restaurant at 100 E. Station Street in downtown Barrington's shopping district, serving rustic Roman and Tuscan cuisine.
- Parks
Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve
782-acre Lake County preserve just east of the village. Three miles of trails for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing, plus a boardwalk to Citizens Park.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Barrington.
- Stations: Barrington
- Terminal: Chicago Ogilvie (OTC)
- Distance: 31.9 miles to downtown Chicago
- Routes: US 14 (Northwest Highway) · IL 59 · IL 22 (Lake-Cook Road) · IL 68 (Dundee Road)
- O'Hare Airport: ~30 min
- Chicago Loop: ~55 min
By the numbers
Barrington taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
2.43%
effective avg
Sales tax
10.00%
combined
Median sold price
$662,525
MRED · last 12 mo (278 sales)
Median household income
$147,989
ACS
How Barrington got here
A bit of history.
The first settlers arrived in the Barrington area in the 1830s, and Barrington and Troy Townships were organized in 1850. In 1854 the Chicago and North Western Railroad extended its line northwest and built a station called Deer Grove, and that same year civil engineer Robert Campbell, who worked for the railroad, purchased a farm and platted a community on the property. Campbell named the community Barrington after Barrington, Massachusetts, the original home of a number of area farmers. The town incorporated as Barrington Station in 1863 with a population of roughly 300 by 1865, and the name was shortened to Barrington in 1873.
The downtown grew up around the railroad depot, with Hough Street and Cook Street forming the historic commercial spine that is still the heart of the village today. In the 20th century the surrounding countryside filled in with country-club estate development, while the neighboring Barrington Hills village imposed a 5-acre minimum zoning rule in 1963 that locked in the equestrian and open-space character of the broader area. Preservation organizations like Citizens for Conservation, founded in 1971, have spent decades acquiring and restoring savanna, prairie, and wetland parcels, most visibly Flint Creek Savanna, which has grown from 33 acres in 1988 to over 159 acres today. The 1927 Catlow Theater on Cook Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and remains the cultural touchstone of downtown.
The questions buyers actually ask
Barrington FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Barrington. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- What's the difference between Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, South Barrington, Lake Barrington, and Tower Lakes?
- They are six separately incorporated villages in the Barrington area that share the Barrington 220 school district and a common identity, but each has its own municipal government and very different character. Barrington is the historic central village with the Metra station and downtown. Barrington Hills is the largest by area with a 5-acre minimum that preserves estate and equestrian property. South Barrington has the Arboretum shopping center and high-end subdivisions. North Barrington, Lake Barrington, and Tower Lakes are smaller residential villages with private lakes and country-club neighborhoods.
- How are the Barrington 220 schools?
- Barrington 220 is consistently ranked among the top K-12 districts in the northwest suburbs. It's a unified district with one high school, two middle schools, and eight elementary schools serving roughly 8,000 students from across all six Barrington-area villages plus parts of several neighboring towns.
- What's the Metra commute like?
- Barrington station is on the UP-NW line at 201 S Spring Street, 31.9 miles from Ogilvie. Express trains can make the run in about 50 minutes, which is one of the better commute profiles in the far northwest suburbs. There's parking at the station and the downtown is built around it.
- What about the country clubs?
- The Barrington area has a deep country-club tradition going back to the early 20th century, with private golf and equestrian clubs scattered through the surrounding villages. Barrington Hills' 5-acre minimum zoning, in place since 1963, has preserved a horse-country feel that you don't get anywhere else this close to Chicago.
- Why are property taxes different on different sides of town?
- The village straddles Cook and Lake counties, so identical homes can sit in different counties with different tax rates and assessment systems. Lake County's effective rate runs higher (around 2.4%) while Cook County is closer to 1.9%, though the actual bills depend on assessed value, exemptions, and overlapping taxing districts. Always confirm which county a specific property sits in before estimating taxes.
- Where should I look first if I want a downtown walking lifestyle?
- Look at the older blocks immediately around Hough Street, Cook Street, and the Metra station. That's where you get the walkable village feel, the historic district housing stock, and a five-minute walk to the train, the Catlow Theater, and the downtown restaurants.
- Is there a hospital in town?
- Yes, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital at 450 W. Highway 22 is a 176-bed acute care hospital with more than 750 physicians across 62 specialties, part of the Advocate Health system.
- Who is the real estate agent for Barrington?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers Barrington in Barrington, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for Barrington specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Nearby
Towns next to Barrington.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Barrington.
Your local agent
Joe knows Barrington
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Barrington specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Thinking of selling?
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- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
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