📊Key takeaways for Gurnee owners
- Median rent is $2,200 across 350 closed leases, up about 17% over the past five years.
- Gurnee homes lease in a median of 14 days, roughly 4 days faster than Lake County overall (18 days).
- July is the fastest month to lease at 8 days. Winter is the slowest, with January homes sitting a median of 25 days.
- Gurnee rentals run about 7% larger than the county median but cost about 15% less per square foot ($1.38 vs $1.62).
📍About Gurnee, IL
Gurnee sits in eastern Lake County along the I-94 corridor and is home to roughly 30,500 residents. The village is best known as a regional destination, anchored by Six Flags Great America, Hurricane Harbor, the Gurnee Mills shopping mall, and Great Wolf Lodge, which together draw more than 20 million visitors a year. Households are served by Gurnee School District 56, Woodland District 50, and Warren Township High School. The local economy leans on manufacturing, health care, and retail, and the highway access that feeds the tourism trade also makes Gurnee an easy commute for renters working across northern Lake County and toward the Wisconsin border. The result is a steady, family-oriented rental pool built mostly around two and three-bedroom homes.
📈Gurnee rent trends, 2021 to 2026
Gurnee rents climbed steadily through the first half of this window, then leveled off. The annual median rose from about $1,700 in 2021 to roughly $2,500 in 2026, and the typical closed lease today is $2,200 a month, compared with an average of $2,326. Most of that growth landed in a single stretch. The strongest year was 2023, when the annual median jumped close to 16%, with 2022 and 2024 adding solid gains on either side. Since then, the market has flattened, with 2025 essentially holding even and 2026 up only modestly. In short, the rapid post-pandemic run-up has given way to a plateau in the mid-$2,000s.
The month-to-month line looks jagged because Gurnee closes only a handful of leases in any given month, so a few large or small homes can swing a single month's median. The annual figures tell the steadier story. Read against Lake County, the gray line, Gurnee tracks the county closely and sits slightly below it for most of the period, a sign that Gurnee offers near-county pricing in a market that leases quickly.
📅When does Gurnee rent fastest?
Seasonality is the clearest pattern in the Gurnee data, and it shows up in days on market rather than price. Homes listed in late spring and summer lease fast. July is the standout at a median of 8 days, followed by April at 10 days and March at 11. The pace slows sharply once the school year starts and the weather turns. November and December both run a median of 23 days, and January is the slowest month of all at 25 days, more than three times the July figure.
Gurnee beats Lake County in nearly every month, and the gap is widest in the busy season. In July a Gurnee home leases in 8 days versus 14 for the county, and in March it is 11 days versus 18. That speed advantage is the single most useful lever a Gurnee owner has. If a lease is up for renewal in the fall, it is often worth setting the next term so the eventual turnover lands back in the spring or summer window. A renewal signed in October at 20 months instead of 12, for example, pushes the next vacancy into June, when homes lease roughly two weeks faster. You can model the dollar value of that timing with the vacancy loss calculator.
⚖️Gurnee vs Lake County
Here is how Gurnee compares to the broader Lake County rental market over the same five years.
Metric | Gurnee | Lake County | Difference |
Median rent | $2,200 | $2,300 | -4.3% |
Median days on market | 14 | 18 | -4 days |
Median home size | 1,526 sqft | 1,425 sqft | +7.1% |
Rent per sqft | $1.38 | $1.62 | -14.8% |
Sample size (5 yr) | 350 | 8,187 | 4.3% of county |
The pattern is consistent. Gurnee renters get more space for slightly less money, and they get into homes faster. The headline rent is about $100 below the county median, but because Gurnee homes are larger, the per-square-foot gap is much wider at nearly 15%. For an owner, that means a Gurnee rental priced near the county dollar figure is actually a relative value for tenants, which helps explain the faster lease-up. With 350 closed leases over five years, Gurnee makes up a little over 4% of all Lake County rental activity, a meaningful but mid-sized submarket.
The rental stock itself helps explain the size advantage. Across the five-year sample, two and three bedroom homes accounted for about 73% of all closed Gurnee leases, with four-bedroom homes making up most of the rest. One-bedroom units are scarce, just 20 of 350 closings, so the market is built around households rather than single renters. That family skew tracks with the school districts and the suburban housing stock, and it is part of why median square footage runs above the county. Owners of two and three bedroom homes are pricing into the deepest, most active part of the Gurnee market.
💡What this means for Gurnee property owners
·Time your listing. Aim to have the home on the market in spring or early summer. A March through July listing leases in 8 to 12 days, while a January listing can sit close to a month.
·Price to the per-square-foot benchmark. The Gurnee median is about $1.38 per square foot. A 1,800 square foot home points to roughly $2,480 a month, and a 1,300 square foot home to about $1,800. Start from square footage, then adjust for condition, parking, and finishes.
·Plan for vacancy cost. At $2,200 a month, every day vacant costs about $73. The 17-day swing between July (8 days) and January (25 days) is worth more than $1,200 in lost rent on a single turn. Listing in season pays for itself.
·Investor decision. If you are weighing a Gurnee purchase or a hold-versus-sell call, run the numbers on the ROI calculator before you commit.
For tactical help getting a unit leased quickly, our guide on 11 things you can do to get your rental rented fast pairs well with the seasonal timing above. Owners comparing nearby markets may also want the top 5 most renter-friendly suburbs in Lake County, and anyone leasing this year should review the new Illinois leasing requirements for 2026.
❓Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in Gurnee, IL?
The median closed rent in Gurnee is $2,200 a month, based on 350 leases closed between May 2021 and May 2026. The average is slightly higher at $2,326, pulled up by larger single-family homes. Most rentals fall in the two to three bedroom range.
How long does it take to rent a home in Gurnee?
The median Gurnee rental leases in 14 days, about four days faster than the Lake County median of 18. Speed depends heavily on season. Homes listed in spring and summer often lease in 8 to 11 days, while winter listings can take three to four weeks.
When is the best time to list a Gurnee rental?
July is the fastest month at a median of 8 days, with March and April close behind. The slowest stretch runs from November through January, when homes sit a median of 23 to 25 days. Listing in the spring or early summer window is the most reliable way to minimize vacancy.
Is Gurnee a good market for rental investment?
Gurnee offers larger homes at a lower cost per square foot than the county average and a faster median lease-up, which supports shorter vacancy. Rent growth has flattened after a strong 2022 to 2024 run, so investors should underwrite to today's plateau rather than recent appreciation. Run your own numbers on the ROI calculator.
Who manages rental properties in Gurnee, IL?
Cruise Property Management offers full-service property management for Gurnee owners. Visit our Gurnee property management page for details.
Methodology. Data source, MRED MLS Grid. Gurnee residential lease transactions, May 2021 to May 2026. Lake County comparison includes all Lake County, IL residential lease transactions for the same period. All figures are medians unless otherwise noted. Monthly samples are small, so annual medians are more reliable than any single month.
About the author
Soh Tanaka, founder of Cruise Property Management and a licensed Illinois real estate broker. Managing rental properties since 2008. Based in Lindenhurst, Cruise Property Management specializes in Lake County, IL and serves owners and investors with full-service property management.
Curious about your Gurnee rental?
Cruise Property Management provides rental analysis and full-service management for Gurnee owners. Get in touch.
