Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
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, Wilmette has the largest share of people working from home (36.1%), followed by Glen Ellyn and Northbrook. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 100 places in Illinois that we cover, the median is 14.8% and the average 16.0%; the figure runs from 36.1% (Wilmette) to 4.7% (Kankakee). That is a spread of 7.8 times between the two ends. The state figure is 15.9%; 44 of the 100 places are above it and 56 at or below.
The first five are Wilmette, Glen Ellyn, Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, Naperville. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: remote work lets people live in cheaper places while earning city pay, but it depends on the employer. 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 ⇅ | Work from home ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmette | Cook County | 36.1% | 27,503 | $190,662 | $1,978 |
| 2 | Glen Ellyn | DuPage County | 32.8% | 28,390 | $140,938 | $1,433 |
| 3 | Northbrook | Cook County | 32.4% | 34,585 | $157,782 | $2,463 |
| 4 | Buffalo Grove | Lake County | 32.1% | 42,891 | $129,395 | $2,037 |
| 5 | Naperville | DuPage County | 31.1% | 150,692 | $155,105 | $1,885 |
| 6 | Oak Park | Cook County | 31.0% | 53,292 | $110,820 | $1,593 |
| 7 | Vernon Hills | Lake County | 29.3% | 26,876 | $121,943 | $1,903 |
| 8 | Evanston | Cook County | 28.4% | 76,340 | $96,434 | $1,762 |
| 9 | Highland Park | Lake County | 26.5% | 30,398 | $168,094 | $1,925 |
| 10 | Elmhurst | DuPage County | 26.5% | 45,671 | $149,644 | $1,975 |
| 11 | Wheaton | DuPage County | 25.8% | 53,557 | $120,008 | $1,799 |
| 12 | North Chicago | Lake County | 25.5% | 30,643 | $60,172 | $1,426 |
| 13 | Arlington Heights | Cook County | 25.1% | 76,005 | $116,723 | $1,760 |
| 14 | Batavia | Kane County | 24.3% | 27,151 | $120,056 | $1,347 |
| 15 | Downers Grove | DuPage County | 23.8% | 50,054 | $115,114 | $1,656 |
| 16 | Park Ridge | Cook County | 23.5% | 38,667 | $142,986 | $1,537 |
| 17 | Woodridge | DuPage County | 23.4% | 33,941 | $101,000 | $1,494 |
| 18 | Plainfield | Will County | 23.3% | 46,708 | $144,000 | $2,119 |
| 19 | Algonquin | McHenry County | 23.1% | 30,067 | $134,525 | $1,723 |
| 20 | Glenview | Cook County | 22.6% | 47,752 | $143,056 | $2,148 |
| 21 | Westmont | DuPage County | 22.0% | 23,724 | $88,090 | $1,533 |
| 22 | Chicago | Cook County | 21.0% | 2,711,226 | $77,902 | $1,440 |
| 23 | Bloomington | McLean County | 20.7% | 78,907 | $77,384 | $1,050 |
| 24 | Palatine | Cook County | 20.6% | 66,293 | $97,819 | $1,549 |
| 25 | Bartlett | DuPage County | 20.5% | 40,501 | $133,240 | $1,883 |
| 26 | Lombard | DuPage County | 20.4% | 43,619 | $100,362 | $1,948 |
| 27 | O'Fallon | Saint Clair County | 20.4% | 32,262 | $105,982 | $1,332 |
| 28 | Skokie | Cook County | 20.3% | 66,219 | $95,337 | $1,552 |
| 29 | Schaumburg | Cook County | 20.1% | 76,868 | $97,514 | $1,812 |
| 30 | Gurnee | Lake County | 19.3% | 30,510 | $119,628 | $1,655 |
| 31 | Mount Prospect | Cook County | 19.2% | 55,472 | $101,720 | $1,502 |
| 32 | Mundelein | Lake County | 18.9% | 31,915 | $108,340 | $1,566 |
| 33 | Urbana | Champaign County | 18.6% | 39,341 | $45,346 | $972 |
| 34 | Hoffman Estates | Cook County | 18.1% | 51,175 | $106,806 | $1,734 |
| 35 | Morton Grove | Cook County | 18.0% | 24,619 | $111,116 | $2,164 |
| 36 | Huntley | McHenry County | 17.7% | 28,005 | $88,536 | $1,622 |
| 37 | Oswego | Kendall County | 17.5% | 36,375 | $123,792 | $1,860 |
| 38 | Bolingbrook | Will County | 17.4% | 74,096 | $108,400 | $1,749 |
| 39 | Champaign | Champaign County | 17.3% | 89,996 | $56,118 | $1,123 |
| 40 | Lake in the Hills | McHenry County | 17.2% | 28,800 | $117,151 | $1,689 |
| 41 | Orland Park | Cook County | 16.9% | 57,916 | $98,910 | $1,440 |
| 42 | Elk Grove Village | Cook County | 16.3% | 31,987 | $94,175 | $1,618 |
| 43 | Aurora | Kane County | 16.1% | 179,898 | $93,633 | $1,596 |
| 44 | Edwardsville | Madison County | 16.0% | 26,474 | $86,721 | $1,306 |
| 45 | South Elgin | Kane County | 15.4% | 24,217 | $127,203 | $1,640 |
| 46 | New Lenox | Will County | 15.2% | 28,006 | $140,865 | $1,431 |
| 47 | St. Charles | Kane County | 15.2% | 32,854 | $114,300 | $1,819 |
| 48 | Crystal Lake | McHenry County | 15.0% | 40,579 | $108,418 | $1,468 |
| 49 | Carol Stream | DuPage County | 14.8% | 39,460 | $102,309 | $1,529 |
| 50 | Rolling Meadows | Cook County | 14.8% | 24,027 | $98,514 | $1,607 |
| 51 | Springfield | Sangamon County | 14.5% | 113,330 | $66,064 | $975 |
| 52 | Wheeling | Cook County | 14.3% | 38,433 | $85,205 | $1,663 |
| 53 | Homer Glen | Will County | 14.2% | 24,529 | $136,678 | $1,861 |
| 54 | McHenry | McHenry County | 14.2% | 28,074 | $86,315 | $1,553 |
| 55 | Des Plaines | Cook County | 13.9% | 59,156 | $97,875 | $1,606 |
| 56 | Lockport | Will County | 13.8% | 26,409 | $111,981 | $1,525 |
| 57 | Elmwood Park | Cook County | 13.7% | 23,868 | $91,955 | $1,334 |
| 58 | Normal | McLean County | 13.4% | 53,569 | $64,785 | $965 |
| 59 | Elgin | Kane County | 12.8% | 114,934 | $90,282 | $1,361 |
| 60 | Collinsville | Madison County | 12.7% | 24,031 | $67,612 | $1,038 |
| 61 | Yorkville | Kendall County | 12.6% | 23,617 | $108,513 | $1,662 |
| 62 | Addison | DuPage County | 12.4% | 35,489 | $90,431 | $1,245 |
| 63 | Tinley Park | Cook County | 12.3% | 54,842 | $105,189 | $1,495 |
| 64 | Belleville | Saint Clair County | 12.2% | 41,370 | $63,535 | $1,019 |
| 65 | Berwyn | Cook County | 12.2% | 55,595 | $78,408 | $1,215 |
| 66 | Woodstock | McHenry County | 12.0% | 26,147 | $82,758 | $1,212 |
| 67 | Streamwood | Cook County | 11.8% | 39,001 | $101,218 | $1,809 |
| 68 | Romeoville | Will County | 11.8% | 41,152 | $106,325 | $1,886 |
| 69 | West Chicago | DuPage County | 11.8% | 25,395 | $99,927 | $1,469 |
| 70 | Peoria | Peoria County | 11.7% | 112,169 | $59,410 | $1,005 |
| 71 | Carpentersville | Kane County | 11.0% | 37,346 | $86,917 | $1,414 |
| 72 | Hanover Park | DuPage County | 11.0% | 36,732 | $91,763 | $1,594 |
| 73 | Oak Lawn | Cook County | 10.8% | 56,861 | $83,911 | $1,335 |
| 74 | Glendale Heights | DuPage County | 10.7% | 32,808 | $86,545 | $1,590 |
| 75 | Niles | Cook County | 10.6% | 30,064 | $75,274 | $1,336 |
| 76 | Oak Forest | Cook County | 10.5% | 26,805 | $91,990 | $1,328 |
| 77 | Rock Island | Rock Island County | 10.3% | 36,151 | $59,041 | $842 |
| 78 | Freeport | Stephenson County | 10.1% | 23,505 | $51,723 | $793 |
| 79 | Rockford | Winnebago County | 10.1% | 147,521 | $54,752 | $985 |
| 80 | Moline | Rock Island County | 9.8% | 42,197 | $67,701 | $900 |
| 81 | Calumet City | Cook County | 9.8% | 35,100 | $55,369 | $1,177 |
| 82 | Alton | Madison County | 9.7% | 25,279 | $54,568 | $1,015 |
| 83 | Danville | Vermilion County | 8.9% | 28,595 | $45,957 | $846 |
| 84 | Granite City | Madison County | 8.9% | 26,549 | $59,205 | $834 |
| 85 | Lansing | Cook County | 8.8% | 28,284 | $75,569 | $1,268 |
| 86 | Joliet | Will County | 8.8% | 150,445 | $92,201 | $1,276 |
| 87 | Decatur | Macon County | 8.4% | 69,815 | $51,592 | $845 |
| 88 | Zion | Lake County | 8.2% | 24,600 | $63,104 | $1,186 |
| 89 | Quincy | Adams County | 8.0% | 39,109 | $56,480 | $837 |
| 90 | Round Lake Beach | Lake County | 7.9% | 27,079 | $86,059 | $1,543 |
| 91 | Belvidere | Boone County | 7.7% | 24,752 | $64,528 | $991 |
| 92 | Waukegan | Lake County | 7.7% | 89,076 | $71,919 | $1,205 |
| 93 | Pekin | Tazewell County | 7.3% | 31,781 | $60,790 | $819 |
| 94 | Burbank | Cook County | 6.9% | 28,739 | $80,116 | $1,265 |
| 95 | Chicago Heights | Cook County | 6.7% | 26,736 | $54,798 | $1,038 |
| 96 | DeKalb | DeKalb County | 6.3% | 40,443 | $46,481 | $1,029 |
| 97 | Melrose Park | Cook County | 5.9% | 24,549 | $66,189 | $1,176 |
| 98 | Cicero | Cook County | 5.5% | 82,797 | $70,842 | $1,154 |
| 99 | Galesburg | Knox County | 5.5% | 29,481 | $48,297 | $801 |
| 100 | Kankakee | Kankakee County | 4.7% | 23,996 | $47,514 | $1,023 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Wilmette, with 36.1% (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 100 largest places in Illinois by population.