A horse track that closed five years ago is now one of the more interesting things happening to car insurance in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The village's average premium runs close to $1,333 a year, a solid stretch under the Illinois full-coverage average of roughly $2,300, and the reason has almost nothing to do with the old track itself — it has to do with the trains that run past it.

Arlington Heights average premium: roughly $1,333/yr ($111/mo). Illinois statewide full-coverage average: roughly $2,300/yr. State minimum liability: 25/50/20, with mandatory uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage on every policy. Regulator: Illinois Department of Insurance.

From Racetrack to Rate Factor

Arlington International Racecourse ran its last race in 2021. The Chicago Bears bought the 326-acre site in 2023 and are building toward a new stadium and surrounding development along Northwest Highway, which means construction equipment, temporary lane closures, and detour traffic have become part of daily life near the old grounds.

That kind of localized activity can bump claims frequency right around the site itself, but it hasn't moved the needle on Arlington Heights' village-wide average, which is still meaningfully below the state number.

Why Two Metra Stops Actually Matter

Arlington Heights has two stations on the Union Pacific Northwest Line: Arlington Heights station downtown and Arlington Park station near the old racecourse. Both run straight into Ogilvie Transportation Center in the Loop, and that matters more to an insurance quote than most drivers realize.

Carriers weigh annual mileage heavily when pricing collision risk. A resident who commutes by train five days a week logs a fraction of the highway miles of a driver who takes I-90 or Route 53 downtown every day, and that gap shows up in the numbers even when two drivers live a few blocks apart.

Illinois requires 25/50/20 liability at minimum — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $20,000 property damage — plus mandatory uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage on every policy, unless a driver waives it in writing. That floor applies the same whether you're three blocks from the Metra platform or three miles out.

Two Commutes, Two Different Quotes

The gap plays out in practical terms:

  • A commuter who walks to the Arlington Heights Metra stop: lower annual mileage and less time in stop-and-go traffic can translate into a quote below the village average.
  • A driver who takes I-90 or Route 53 into the city daily: more highway exposure and longer drive times generally push a quote closer to, or above, the $1,333 average.
  • A household near the old racecourse grounds during construction: detour patterns and heavier equipment traffic on Northwest Highway can add a modest bump to claims exposure in that specific corridor.
  • A driver on the quieter east side near Arlington Heights High School: fewer commercial corridors and lower claims density in that pocket tend to keep quotes on the lower end of the range.

How ZIP Code Splits the Village

Arlington Heights spans several ZIP codes, but two carry most of the population: 60004 covers much of the residential east side, while 60005 covers the downtown core and the former racecourse property. Insurers underwrite by exact address and local claims history, not the village name, so a 60004 quote and a 60005 quote for otherwise identical drivers can land in different places.

For a broader look at what actually moves a quote, our premium-lowering guide walks through the mechanics in more detail.

Before You Renew, Check These

Arlington Heights' below-average premium is a starting point, not a guarantee. A few things worth confirming before your next renewal:

  • Your listed annual mileage still reflects how much you actually drive, especially if you've shifted toward the Metra since your policy was written.
  • Your property damage limit covers what your car is worth — the state-minimum $20,000 hasn't changed in years.
  • You're comparing at least three quotes rather than auto-renewing, since carriers price the same address differently.