Calumet City · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Calumet City.
- Active listings
- 113
- Median list
- $163K
- Avg time on market
- 68 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Map data, Mapbox / OpenStreetMap contributors
Active listings
113 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Calumet City.
Calumet City sits in the far southeast corner of Cook County, pressed against the Hammond, Indiana state line and roughly 22 miles south of the Chicago Loop. The city had a population of 36,033 at the 2020 Census and is estimated near 34,330 in 2026, with a community that is 73.8 percent Black or African American and a median age of 37.8. It functions as a regional commercial hub for the south suburbs and northwest Indiana, anchored by River Oaks Center, a fully enclosed mall at 159th Street and Torrence Avenue with more than 80 retailers including Macy's and JCPenney. The Kingery Expressway (I-80/I-94) and Bishop Ford Freeway frame the city, the South Shore Line's Hegewisch station sits just across the city line, and the Calumet Expressway (IL-394) corridor pulls trucks and commuters down through the south suburbs.
At a glance
36,033 residents
2020 Census; World Population Review 2026 estimate near 34,330. Median age 37.8, predominantly Black community with a growing Hispanic share.
River Oaks Center
Enclosed mall at 96 River Oaks Center Drive with 80-plus stores anchored by Macy's and JCPenney. South suburbs' main indoor shopping destination.
I-80/I-94 + Bishop Ford + IL-394
Kingery Expressway runs along the south edge with full access at Torrence Avenue. Bishop Ford Freeway and Calumet Expressway (IL-394) are the north-south spines.
Hegewisch (South Shore)
Closest passenger rail sits just over the city line in Chicago. Direct service to Millennium Station downtown and east to Hammond, Gary, and South Bend.
Three K-8 districts + Thornton 205
Dolton 149, Calumet City 155, and Hoover-Schrum 157 split K-8. High schoolers attend Thornton Township District 205 (Thornridge in Dolton or Thornwood in South Holland).
Median income ~$54K
Median household income $53,991 per Data USA. Homeownership rate around 55.9 percent.
Median home ~$160K
Redfin and Zillow list prices in the high $150s in early 2026. Mid-century brick bungalows and ranches dominate the housing stock.
Sales tax 11.00 percent
Combined 6.25 percent state, 1.75 percent Cook County, 2.00 percent city, 1.00 percent special district in core retail ZIPs.
What’s close
Calumet City sits at the southeast corner of Cook County where Illinois meets Indiana, with the Kingery and Bishop Ford interchange of I-80 and I-94 forming the city's transportation spine.
- River Oaks Center
- Enclosed mall at 159th Street and Torrence Avenue with 80-plus retailers anchored by Macy's and JCPenney.
- Hegewisch (South Shore Line)
- Closest passenger rail, just north of the city line in Chicago. Direct service to Millennium Station and east to South Bend.
- I-80/I-94 (Kingery Expressway)
- Runs along the south edge of the city with full access at Torrence Avenue, widening to eight lanes through the Indiana line.
- Hammond, Indiana state line
- Forms the eastern border. Hammond's casino, retail, and Wolf Lake Pavilion sit minutes east.
- Sand Ridge Nature Center
- Cook County Forest Preserves site nearby with four miles of trails through prairie, oak savanna, ponds, and ancient dunes.
- Green Lake Family Aquatic Center
- Forest Preserves zero-depth pool with tube slide, lazy river, and water playground at 1100 River Oaks Drive.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Calumet City revolves around the River Oaks Center commercial corridor and the Torrence Avenue and Sibley Boulevard intersection, with big-box retail, casual dining, and service businesses lining the arterials that connect to Hammond, Lansing, and South Holland. Housing stock is heavy on mid-century brick bungalows and ranches from the post-war boom along with a smaller share of newer subdivisions, and the homeownership rate sits at 55.9 percent. The community is predominantly Black or African American at 73.8 percent and increasingly Hispanic, with a working-family character and median household income near $54,000.
Recreation runs through the Calumet Memorial Park District (founded 1922) with the Sandridge Fitness and Community Center on Oglesby Avenue and Memorial Park on Wentworth, along with the Green Lake Family Aquatic Center on River Oaks Drive operated by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Sand Ridge Nature Center, also a Cook County Forest Preserves site, offers four miles of trails through prairie, oak savanna, and dunes within easy reach. Cross-border shopping, dining, and entertainment in Hammond and the casinos on the Indiana lakefront are minutes away, making Calumet City unusually well-positioned for residents who want one foot in metro Chicago and one in northwest Indiana.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Calumet City community pages coming soon.
Browse the listings above. Detailed neighborhood pages with market stats, school info, and lifestyle take-downs land here as we roll them out.
Schools
Districts serving Calumet City.
Boundary lines do shift. Always confirm in writing for a specific address before writing an offer.
- D149Grades K - 8
Dolton School District 149
Schools serving the area
- Berger-Vandenberg Elementary
- Riverdale Elementary
- Lincoln Elementary
- Roosevelt Junior High
District 149 covers eight schools and about 2,318 students, serving the western portion of Calumet City along with parts of Dolton and Riverdale. District office at 292 Torrence Avenue, Calumet City.
- D155Grades K - 8
Calumet City School District 155
Schools serving the area
- Woodrow Wilson Memorial Elementary
- Wentworth Intermediate
- Wentworth Junior High
Calumet City SD 155 runs three schools and about 955 students, covering the central and northern portions of the city.
- D157Grades K - 8
Hoover-Schrum Memorial School District 157
Schools serving the area
- Hoover Elementary
- Schrum Memorial Middle School
Hoover-Schrum SD 157 runs two schools and about 789 students. Main office at 1255 Superior Avenue. Serves portions of eastern Calumet City near the Indiana line.
- D205Grades 9 - 12
Thornton Township High School District 205
Schools serving the area
- Thornridge High School (Dolton)
- Thornwood High School (South Holland)
- Thornton Township High School (Harvey)
Calumet City high schoolers feed into Thornton Township District 205, most often Thornridge in Dolton or Thornwood in South Holland.
Around town
What there is to do in Calumet City.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Shopping
River Oaks Center
Enclosed mall at 96 River Oaks Center Drive with 80-plus stores anchored by Macy's and JCPenney. The south suburbs' largest indoor shopping destination.
- Parks
Sand Ridge Nature Center
Forest Preserves of Cook County site with four miles of trails through prairie, oak savanna, ponds, and ancient dunes, plus a visitor center with live native wildlife.
- Family
Green Lake Family Aquatic Center
Forest Preserves zero-depth pool with tube slide, lazy river, and water playground at 1100 River Oaks Drive. Geared to families with kids 12 and under.
- Parks
Calumet Memorial Park District
Park district founded 1922. Sandridge Fitness and Community Center on Oglesby Avenue, Memorial Park on Wentworth, plus citywide pools and rec programming.
- Culture
Calumet City Historical Society and Museum
Local museum covering the West Hammond, Sin City, and post-war boom story of the city.
- Parks
Powderhorn Lake and Green Lake Woods
Adjacent Forest Preserves sites for hiking, fishing, birding, and cycling, just south and west of central Calumet City.
Getting around
Commute + transit from Calumet City.
DriveBy car
- Routes: I-80/I-94 (Kingery Expressway) · I-94 (Bishop Ford Freeway) · IL-394 (Calumet Expressway) · IL-83 (Sibley Boulevard) · Torrence Avenue
- Chicago Loop: ~32 min
- Hammond, IN: ~11 min
- Midway Airport: ~36 min
- O'Hare Airport: ~52 min
By the numbers
Calumet City taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Property tax rate
4.66%
effective avg
Sales tax
11.00%
combined
Median sold price
$159,000
MRED · last 12 mo (317 sales)
Median household income
$53,991
ACS
How Calumet City got here
A bit of history.
The area now called Calumet City was first settled in the 1860s by German immigrant Hans Johann Schrum, who farmed maple syrup and potatoes and ran a pickle works. The community incorporated in 1893 as the village of West Hammond, leaning heavily on the factories and commerce of Hammond, Indiana just over the state line. Early residents were largely German Lutheran farmers, and the population grew from roughly 2,935 in 1900 to 7,492 by 1920 as Calumet-area industry expanded.
When Indiana went dry in 1916, West Hammond became the destination for thirsty northwest Indiana customers, and the arrival of national Prohibition cemented the role. Bootleggers, including Al Capone's organization, helped build out the State Street strip of speakeasies and gambling houses, earning the town its Sin City nickname. Residents voted to rename the city Calumet City in 1923 (effective 1924) to shed the reputation, but the strip persisted in different forms for decades. Postwar growth pushed the population past 25,000 by 1960 with new tract homes selling around $18,000, and the city peaked at 39,071 in 1980. A 1993 crackdown ordered by Mayor Jerry Genova finally cleaned out the State Street strip by 1997.
The questions buyers actually ask
Calumet City FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Calumet City. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- What school district will my kids attend in Calumet City?
- Calumet City is split among three K-8 elementary districts depending on address: Dolton 149, Calumet City 155, and Hoover-Schrum 157. High schoolers all feed into Thornton Township District 205, most often Thornridge in Dolton or Thornwood in South Holland. Always confirm boundaries against the specific address.
- Why are Calumet City property tax bills so high relative to home prices?
- Calumet City is in the south Cook County tax belt, where the combination of overlapping districts (schools, township, county, library, park) and Cook County's classification and equalization process pushes effective rates well above the national 1.02 percent median. Ownwell reports a median bill near $3,390 with the 75th percentile around $5,720.
- What is the sales tax in Calumet City?
- The combined rate is 11.00 percent in the core retail ZIPs (6.25 percent state, 1.75 percent Cook County, 2.00 percent city, 1.00 percent special district), with some sub-zones documented as high as 12.00 percent.
- Is there a Metra station in Calumet City?
- No Metra station sits inside Calumet City. The closest passenger rail is the South Shore Line's Hegewisch station, immediately across the city line in Chicago, with direct service to Millennium Station downtown.
- How long is the drive to downtown Chicago, O'Hare, and Hammond?
- Off-peak the Loop is about 32 minutes (22 miles), Midway about 36 minutes, O'Hare about 52 minutes, and central Hammond, Indiana about 11 minutes from central Calumet City.
- Where do people shop in Calumet City?
- River Oaks Center at 159th Street and Torrence is the south suburbs' main indoor mall, with 80-plus stores anchored by Macy's and JCPenney, surrounded by additional big-box and strip retail along Torrence and Sibley.
- Does crossing into Indiana matter for daily life?
- Hammond is roughly 11 minutes away, and many residents shop, work, dine, and use Indiana casinos and beaches just over the line. The Pace Route 364 bus and the South Shore Line both run cross-border service.
Nearby
Towns next to Calumet City.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the places that border Calumet City.
Your local agent
Joe knows Calumet City
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the communities I actually know, and the details that determine resale value here aren't in the MLS write-up: which lots back to open space, which streets carry the most consistent demand, which floor plans buyers ask for by name, and what each HOA actually covers.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who's walked the streets, talked to the residents, and read the last 50 closed comps in this market specifically. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Lives in McHenry County
- Local specialist
- Calumet City specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Thinking of selling?
What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
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