Water damage restoration · Joliet, Illinois
Water damage restoration in Joliet, IL
Burst pipe, failed water heater, or storm water? Joliet-area ZIPs: 1,062 flood claims since 1978[1]; 47% of homes built before 1980[2]. Request help from local restoration crews. Joliet, in Will County and Kendall County — ZIPs 60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, 60433, counts 152,241 residents (2025 estimate)[3].
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Joliet water damage snapshot: the key figures
- Population (2025 est.)
- 152,241[3]+1.2% since 2020
- County
- Will / Kendall[3]city spans more than one county
- Land area
- 66.3 sq mi[4]
- Flood-insurance (NFIP) claims, local ZIPs
- 1,062 since 1978[1]$7,015,369 paid across 874 claims · ZIP 60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, 60433
- Flood & flash-flood reports within 10 mi
- 40[5]2016–2025 · latest Aug 18, 2025
- Winter-storm & freeze days, will zone
- 13[5]2016–2025; hard freezes burst pipes
- Federal disaster declarations incl. flooding, Will Co.
- 4[6]of 11 total declarations
- Homes built before 1980
- 47%[2]the 6th-lowest share of the 15 Chicago-area suburbs we cover
- Households renting
- 26%[2]2020–2024
What the local data means for water damage in Joliet
Joliet is one of the fastest-growing Chicago-metro suburbs tracked here: 152,241 people (2025 estimate), up 1.2% since 2020[3]. The city spans 66.3 square miles at 2,298 residents per square mile (the 15th densest) and spans Will County and Kendall County, served by ZIP codes 60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, 60433[4].
Joliet mixes 6% of homes built since 2010 and 47% before 1980[2]: new supply lines and water heaters in one house, aging pipe and original valves in the next — so where a leak starts depends a lot on the address.
7 ZIP codes cover Joliet — 60436 (17% of the city's land), 60431 (16% of the city's land), 60435 (14% of the city's land), 60421 (13% of the city's land), 60586 (13% of the city's land), 60432 (8% of the city's land), 60433 (7% of the city's land)[7].
The tracked suburbs closest by are Bolingbrook (12.0 mi N), Naperville (16.1 mi N) and Orland Park (16.2 mi NE)[4].
1,062 flood-insurance claims have come from Joliet-area ZIP codes (60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, 60433) since 1978, and $7,015,369 has been paid on them (about $8,027 per paid claim)[1]. 1996 was the worst year, with 413 claims. That is the 2nd-most of the 15 Chicago-area suburbs we cover; for comparison, Bolingbrook (101), Naperville (226), and Orland Park (77). Outside water is a real part of the picture here. Of the 843 claims rated in a flood zone, 675 were in FEMA's high-risk areas (zones A or V) and 168 outside them (zones B, C or X)[1][8] — flooding here is not only a high-risk-zone problem.
By month of loss, Joliet-area flood claims cluster in June (302), July (445), and December (79) — 826 of 1,062 dated claims[1].
Within 10 miles of central Joliet, weather observers filed 40 flood, flash-flood or heavy-rain reports in 2016–2025 (11 flash floods)[5]. Countywide: 4 flood declarations since 2000, latest Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng (DR-4819, 2024)[6]. Nearby: Bolingbrook (76), Naperville (78), and Orland Park (62).
47% of Joliet's 53,814 housing units predate 1980[2] — the 6th-lowest share of the 15 Chicago-area suburbs we cover (Bolingbrook (41%), Naperville (26%), and Orland Park (30%)). Expect a mix of original and replaced plumbing.
Freeze days in the will zone: 13 in 2016–2025, latest Dec 29, 2020[5]. Nearby: Bolingbrook (13) and Orland Park (20).
74% of Joliet households own their home[2], so most claims and rebuilds here are coordinated by the owner.
Measured against the 15 suburbs on this site, Joliet records the lowest median home value ($265,800)[2], the 2nd-most NFIP flood claims (1,062)[1], and the 3rd-fewest flood reports nearby (40)[5].
How a leak spreads inside a wall
Give a leak time and it travels — outward across the floor, upward into drywall by capillary action.
Joliet storm calendar
Within 10 miles of Joliet, 2016–2025: 11 flash-flood reports, 21 flood reports, and 8 heavy-rain reports[5]. Peak: 63% in April, May, and June. Busiest year 2020 (14); 2 of 10 years had none. Busiest month May 2020 (11). Latest: flash-flood report, Aug 18, 2025, 9.5 mi out.
| Month | Flash flood | Flood | Heavy rain | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Feb | – | 3 | – | 3 |
| Mar | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Apr | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| May | 8 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| Jun | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Jul | – | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Aug | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Oct | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Get water damage help in Joliet
Requests go to Water damage restoration contractors serving the Joliet area — ZIP codes 60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, 60433.
Before you call: what a restoration crew does first
Shared walls and ceilings: Joliet homes by building type
With 70%[2] of homes detached, most Joliet water-damage jobs stay inside one house — the owner's policy and the owner's call.
After detached houses, the biggest group is attached house (townhouse, rowhouse): 5,064 of 53,814 housing units[2].
| Building type | Units | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 37,403 | 69.5% | ±785 |
| Attached house (townhouse, rowhouse) | 5,064 | 9.4% | ±531 |
| Duplex (2 units) | 2,720 | 5.1% | ±437 |
| 3–4 units | 2,067 | 3.8% | ±338 |
| 5–9 units | 1,124 | 2.1% | ±279 |
| 10–19 units | 1,825 | 3.4% | ±316 |
| 20–49 units | 926 | 1.7% | ±230 |
| 50 or more units | 2,349 | 4.4% | ±436 |
| Mobile home | 281 | 0.5% | ±115 |
| Boat, RV, van, etc. | 55 | 0.1% | ±61 |
Margins of error are the Census Bureau’s 90% intervals; small categories in small cities are rough.
Joliet by the numbers
| Measure | Joliet | Median of 15 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFIP flood claims (area ZIPs) | 1,062 | 158 | 904 more |
| Flood reports (10 mi) | 40 | 56 | 16 fewer |
| Median home value | $265,800 | $355,600 | 25% lower |
| Built before 1980 | 47% | 55% | 8 pts lower |
| Renter-occupied | 26% | 26% | about the same |
| Median year built | 1985 | 1977 | 8 years newer |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 74% | about the same |
Largest differences first. Medians are the middle value across the covered Chicago-area suburbs, from the same sources.
| City | NFIP claims | Flood reports ≤10 mi | Freeze days | Built before 1980 | Renting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet | 1,062 | 40 | 13 | 47% | 26% |
| Bolingbrook 12.0 mi | 101 | 76 | 13 | 41% | 21% |
| Naperville 16.1 mi | 226 | 78 | — | 26% | 25% |
| Orland Park 16.2 mi | 77 | 62 | 20 | 30% | 14% |
| Tinley Park 18.1 mi | 93 | 55 | 20 | 38% | 13% |
| Aurora 18.6 mi | 304 | 55 | 55 | 42% | 34% |
| ZIP | Claims | Paid | Busiest year | Outside high-risk zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60436 | 73 | $599,314 | 1996 (21) | 21 of 53 |
| 60431 | 64 | $1,373,535 | 1996 (24) | 25 of 64 |
| 60435 | 101 | $593,395 | 1981 (29) | 16 of 71 |
| 60421 | 46 | $184,404 | 1980 (19) | 3 of 28 |
| 60586 | 76 | $1,543,360 | 1996 (24) | 20 of 76 |
| 60432 | 432 | $1,471,608 | 1996 (257) | 42 of 355 |
| 60433 | 270 | $1,249,753 | 1981 (96) | 41 of 196 |
ZIPs extend past city limits. Outside high-risk zones: claims rated in zone B, C or X, of the claims that carry a zone.
| Year | Claims |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2013 | 30 |
| 2011 | 6 |
| Month | Claims |
|---|---|
| January | 4 |
| February | 27 |
| March | 28 |
| April | 38 |
| May | 54 |
| June | 302 |
| July | 445 |
| August | 25 |
| September | 50 |
| October | 4 |
| November | 6 |
| December | 79 |
| Date | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | Flash Flood | 9.5 mi |
| Aug 18, 2025 | Heavy Rain | 6.8 mi |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Heavy Rain | 5.4 mi |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Flood | 3.2 mi |
| May 7, 2024 | Flood | 7.4 mi |
| Mar 14, 2024 | Flood | 2.1 mi |
| Jan 15, 2024 | Flood | 9.8 mi |
| Jan 15, 2024 | Flood | 9.8 mi |
| ZIP (ZCTA) | Share of Joliet's land | Share of the ZIP inside the city |
|---|---|---|
| 60436 | 17% | 62% |
| 60431 | 16% | 79% |
| 60435 | 14% | 86% |
| 60421 | 13% | 14% |
| 60586 | 13% | 47% |
| 60432 | 8% | 63% |
| 60433 | 7% | 35% |
Common Joliet water damage questions
Do I need flood insurance in Joliet?
Homeowners policies exclude outside floodwater[9], and Joliet-area ZIPs have 44 NFIP claims in just the last ten years[1].
Which Joliet ZIP codes do these crews cover?
60436, 60431, 60435, 60421, 60586, 60432, and 60433[7], in Will County. Nearby pages: Bolingbrook (12.0 mi), Naperville (16.1 mi), and Orland Park (16.2 mi)[4].
Which Joliet ZIP code has the most flood claims?
60432, with 432 NFIP claims and $1,471,608 paid[1].
When was the last flood report near Joliet?
Aug 18, 2025: a flash flood report 9.5 miles from the city center[5].
Sources
- OpenFEMA NFIP claims
- Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year (keyless bulk)
- Census population estimates, Vintage 2025
- Census Gazetteer 2025
- NOAA Storm Events Database
- OpenFEMA disaster declarations
- Census 2020 ZCTA–place file
- FEMA, Flood Zones (link unverified)
- FEMA FloodSmart (link unverified)
Data pulled Sep 28, 2026. Full citations and method.