How dark is the sky in Palatine, IL?

Satellite radiance puts Palatine in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 71.1% of the 3,206 US cities in this dataset.

Worth remembering: this is satellite radiance, not a ground observation. A true Bortle rating needs a human eye at night, this is the closest large-scale substitute.

How far Palatine is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Buffalo Grove, IL, roughly 5 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.

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

Palatine against the rest of the dataset

Palatine, IL has a population of about 65,951, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Palatine ranks 2,267 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.