Chicago Heights, IL: how dark is the sky here?

Chicago Heights's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 70.7% of the 3,206 US cities in this dataset.

This comes from a satellite measuring light radiating upward, not a person's eyes on the ground, so it isn't the same as a Bortle class, though the two track each other closely.

How far Chicago Heights is from a meaningfully darker sky

Park Forest, IL, about 3 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Chicago Heights. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

Park Forest, IL is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.

How Chicago Heights compares nationally

Chicago Heights, IL counts roughly 26,533 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Chicago Heights places 2,253 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.