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Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 100 largest places in Illinois, Waukegan has the highest average pay in its county ($91,042), followed by Buffalo Grove and Mundelein. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 100 places in Illinois that we cover, the median is $79,674 and the average $74,061; the figure runs from $91,042 (Waukegan) to $46,491 (Galesburg). That is a spread of 2.0 times between the two ends.
The first five are Waukegan, Buffalo Grove, Mundelein, North Chicago, Gurnee. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | County average annual pay ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waukegan | Lake County | $91,042 | 89,076 | $71,919 | $1,205 |
| 2 | Buffalo Grove | Lake County | $91,042 | 42,891 | $129,395 | $2,037 |
| 3 | Mundelein | Lake County | $91,042 | 31,915 | $108,340 | $1,566 |
| 4 | North Chicago | Lake County | $91,042 | 30,643 | $60,172 | $1,426 |
| 5 | Gurnee | Lake County | $91,042 | 30,510 | $119,628 | $1,655 |
| 6 | Highland Park | Lake County | $91,042 | 30,398 | $168,094 | $1,925 |
| 7 | Round Lake Beach | Lake County | $91,042 | 27,079 | $86,059 | $1,543 |
| 8 | Vernon Hills | Lake County | $91,042 | 26,876 | $121,943 | $1,903 |
| 9 | Zion | Lake County | $91,042 | 24,600 | $63,104 | $1,186 |
| 10 | Chicago | Cook County | $86,931 | 2,711,226 | $77,902 | $1,440 |
| 11 | Cicero | Cook County | $86,931 | 82,797 | $70,842 | $1,154 |
| 12 | Schaumburg | Cook County | $86,931 | 76,868 | $97,514 | $1,812 |
| 13 | Evanston | Cook County | $86,931 | 76,340 | $96,434 | $1,762 |
| 14 | Arlington Heights | Cook County | $86,931 | 76,005 | $116,723 | $1,760 |
| 15 | Palatine | Cook County | $86,931 | 66,293 | $97,819 | $1,549 |
| 16 | Skokie | Cook County | $86,931 | 66,219 | $95,337 | $1,552 |
| 17 | Des Plaines | Cook County | $86,931 | 59,156 | $97,875 | $1,606 |
| 18 | Orland Park | Cook County | $86,931 | 57,916 | $98,910 | $1,440 |
| 19 | Oak Lawn | Cook County | $86,931 | 56,861 | $83,911 | $1,335 |
| 20 | Berwyn | Cook County | $86,931 | 55,595 | $78,408 | $1,215 |
| 21 | Mount Prospect | Cook County | $86,931 | 55,472 | $101,720 | $1,502 |
| 22 | Tinley Park | Cook County | $86,931 | 54,842 | $105,189 | $1,495 |
| 23 | Oak Park | Cook County | $86,931 | 53,292 | $110,820 | $1,593 |
| 24 | Hoffman Estates | Cook County | $86,931 | 51,175 | $106,806 | $1,734 |
| 25 | Glenview | Cook County | $86,931 | 47,752 | $143,056 | $2,148 |
| 26 | Streamwood | Cook County | $86,931 | 39,001 | $101,218 | $1,809 |
| 27 | Park Ridge | Cook County | $86,931 | 38,667 | $142,986 | $1,537 |
| 28 | Wheeling | Cook County | $86,931 | 38,433 | $85,205 | $1,663 |
| 29 | Calumet City | Cook County | $86,931 | 35,100 | $55,369 | $1,177 |
| 30 | Northbrook | Cook County | $86,931 | 34,585 | $157,782 | $2,463 |
| 31 | Elk Grove Village | Cook County | $86,931 | 31,987 | $94,175 | $1,618 |
| 32 | Niles | Cook County | $86,931 | 30,064 | $75,274 | $1,336 |
| 33 | Burbank | Cook County | $86,931 | 28,739 | $80,116 | $1,265 |
| 34 | Lansing | Cook County | $86,931 | 28,284 | $75,569 | $1,268 |
| 35 | Wilmette | Cook County | $86,931 | 27,503 | $190,662 | $1,978 |
| 36 | Oak Forest | Cook County | $86,931 | 26,805 | $91,990 | $1,328 |
| 37 | Chicago Heights | Cook County | $86,931 | 26,736 | $54,798 | $1,038 |
| 38 | Morton Grove | Cook County | $86,931 | 24,619 | $111,116 | $2,164 |
| 39 | Melrose Park | Cook County | $86,931 | 24,549 | $66,189 | $1,176 |
| 40 | Rolling Meadows | Cook County | $86,931 | 24,027 | $98,514 | $1,607 |
| 41 | Elmwood Park | Cook County | $86,931 | 23,868 | $91,955 | $1,334 |
| 42 | Naperville | DuPage County | $79,674 | 150,692 | $155,105 | $1,885 |
| 43 | Wheaton | DuPage County | $79,674 | 53,557 | $120,008 | $1,799 |
| 44 | Downers Grove | DuPage County | $79,674 | 50,054 | $115,114 | $1,656 |
| 45 | Elmhurst | DuPage County | $79,674 | 45,671 | $149,644 | $1,975 |
| 46 | Lombard | DuPage County | $79,674 | 43,619 | $100,362 | $1,948 |
| 47 | Bartlett | DuPage County | $79,674 | 40,501 | $133,240 | $1,883 |
| 48 | Carol Stream | DuPage County | $79,674 | 39,460 | $102,309 | $1,529 |
| 49 | Hanover Park | DuPage County | $79,674 | 36,732 | $91,763 | $1,594 |
| 50 | Addison | DuPage County | $79,674 | 35,489 | $90,431 | $1,245 |
| 51 | Woodridge | DuPage County | $79,674 | 33,941 | $101,000 | $1,494 |
| 52 | Glendale Heights | DuPage County | $79,674 | 32,808 | $86,545 | $1,590 |
| 53 | Glen Ellyn | DuPage County | $79,674 | 28,390 | $140,938 | $1,433 |
| 54 | West Chicago | DuPage County | $79,674 | 25,395 | $99,927 | $1,469 |
| 55 | Westmont | DuPage County | $79,674 | 23,724 | $88,090 | $1,533 |
| 56 | Peoria | Peoria County | $74,778 | 112,169 | $59,410 | $1,005 |
| 57 | Moline | Rock Island County | $72,332 | 42,197 | $67,701 | $900 |
| 58 | Rock Island | Rock Island County | $72,332 | 36,151 | $59,041 | $842 |
| 59 | Springfield | Sangamon County | $69,350 | 113,330 | $66,064 | $975 |
| 60 | Decatur | Macon County | $67,788 | 69,815 | $51,592 | $845 |
| 61 | Bloomington | McLean County | $66,183 | 78,907 | $77,384 | $1,050 |
| 62 | Normal | McLean County | $66,183 | 53,569 | $64,785 | $965 |
| 63 | Champaign | Champaign County | $64,216 | 89,996 | $56,118 | $1,123 |
| 64 | Urbana | Champaign County | $64,216 | 39,341 | $45,346 | $972 |
| 65 | Aurora | Kane County | $62,791 | 179,898 | $93,633 | $1,596 |
| 66 | Elgin | Kane County | $62,791 | 114,934 | $90,282 | $1,361 |
| 67 | Carpentersville | Kane County | $62,791 | 37,346 | $86,917 | $1,414 |
| 68 | St. Charles | Kane County | $62,791 | 32,854 | $114,300 | $1,819 |
| 69 | Batavia | Kane County | $62,791 | 27,151 | $120,056 | $1,347 |
| 70 | South Elgin | Kane County | $62,791 | 24,217 | $127,203 | $1,640 |
| 71 | Joliet | Will County | $60,570 | 150,445 | $92,201 | $1,276 |
| 72 | Bolingbrook | Will County | $60,570 | 74,096 | $108,400 | $1,749 |
| 73 | Plainfield | Will County | $60,570 | 46,708 | $144,000 | $2,119 |
| 74 | Romeoville | Will County | $60,570 | 41,152 | $106,325 | $1,886 |
| 75 | New Lenox | Will County | $60,570 | 28,006 | $140,865 | $1,431 |
| 76 | Lockport | Will County | $60,570 | 26,409 | $111,981 | $1,525 |
| 77 | Homer Glen | Will County | $60,570 | 24,529 | $136,678 | $1,861 |
| 78 | Rockford | Winnebago County | $59,400 | 147,521 | $54,752 | $985 |
| 79 | Granite City | Madison County | $57,153 | 26,549 | $59,205 | $834 |
| 80 | Edwardsville | Madison County | $57,153 | 26,474 | $86,721 | $1,306 |
| 81 | Alton | Madison County | $57,153 | 25,279 | $54,568 | $1,015 |
| 82 | Collinsville | Madison County | $57,153 | 24,031 | $67,612 | $1,038 |
| 83 | Belleville | Saint Clair County | $57,001 | 41,370 | $63,535 | $1,019 |
| 84 | O'Fallon | Saint Clair County | $57,001 | 32,262 | $105,982 | $1,332 |
| 85 | DeKalb | DeKalb County | $56,896 | 40,443 | $46,481 | $1,029 |
| 86 | Pekin | Tazewell County | $56,089 | 31,781 | $60,790 | $819 |
| 87 | Freeport | Stephenson County | $55,932 | 23,505 | $51,723 | $793 |
| 88 | Kankakee | Kankakee County | $55,890 | 23,996 | $47,514 | $1,023 |
| 89 | Belvidere | Boone County | $55,414 | 24,752 | $64,528 | $991 |
| 90 | Crystal Lake | McHenry County | $55,107 | 40,579 | $108,418 | $1,468 |
| 91 | Algonquin | McHenry County | $55,107 | 30,067 | $134,525 | $1,723 |
| 92 | Lake in the Hills | McHenry County | $55,107 | 28,800 | $117,151 | $1,689 |
| 93 | McHenry | McHenry County | $55,107 | 28,074 | $86,315 | $1,553 |
| 94 | Huntley | McHenry County | $55,107 | 28,005 | $88,536 | $1,622 |
| 95 | Woodstock | McHenry County | $55,107 | 26,147 | $82,758 | $1,212 |
| 96 | Quincy | Adams County | $54,986 | 39,109 | $56,480 | $837 |
| 97 | Danville | Vermilion County | $54,579 | 28,595 | $45,957 | $846 |
| 98 | Oswego | Kendall County | $51,205 | 36,375 | $123,792 | $1,860 |
| 99 | Yorkville | Kendall County | $51,205 | 23,617 | $108,513 | $1,662 |
| 100 | Galesburg | Knox County | $46,491 | 29,481 | $48,297 | $801 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. County figures describe the whole county where the city lies.
Waukegan, with $91,042 (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 100 largest places in Illinois by population.