Cook, DuPage, and Lake County average ratios were 101.32% to 101.52%; their above-list shares were 48.64% to 52.34%.
Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties each had an average sale-to-final-list ratio above 101% in May 2026. It would still be inaccurate to say that nearly every sale closed above list.
The share sold above final list was 48.64% in Cook, 52.34% in DuPage, and 49.94% in Lake.
The average and the share use different information
An average sale-to-list ratio incorporates the size of each transaction's ratio. A smaller number of sales well above final list can pull the average upward. The above-list share counts how many relevant sales crossed the threshold, not how far above it they went.
That is why an average above 100% can coexist with only about half of sales closing above final list. The two statistics are not competing answers to one question.
Final list is not original list
Redfin defines the ratio against final list price. A property may have had earlier asking prices. A sale above final list can still be below the original ask after reductions, and a simple ratio does not disclose credits, concessions, repairs, or other terms.
The county archive is also broad. It combines property types, locations, price ranges, and transaction circumstances across each county. It cannot be relabeled as an outcome for Chicago or any individual suburb.
The same county average can contain very different outcomes
A 101.5% average could be produced by many transactions clustered near final list or by a wider distribution with some sales substantially above and others below. The public county row does not provide that distribution. It also does not identify how the ratio varies by price range, property type, location, condition, or days on market. The above-list share adds one useful threshold count, but it still does not reveal the size of each overage or shortfall.
That is why neither statistic should be converted into a standard escalation amount. A buyer needs evidence from the property's direct competitive set, and a seller needs the listing histories and terms of genuinely comparable transactions.
Use matched property evidence for an offer
For a specific property, review the listing history, direct comparable sales, active alternatives, contract timing, and disclosed terms where available. The county measures can frame a question about competition, but they cannot set the offer.
Source and method: Redfin Data Center downloads and metric definitions, all residential, 30-day, not seasonally adjusted, May 2026. Read the full county study for exact rows and historical limits.