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Illinois: cities with the shortest commutes

Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.

In short: Illinois: Urbana has the smallest share of long commutes (2.4%) among the 100 largest places.
Chicago (2,711,226 residents)Aurora (179,898 residents)Naperville (150,692 residents)Joliet (150,445 residents)Rockford (147,521 residents)Elgin (114,934 residents)Springfield (113,330 residents)Peoria (112,169 residents)Champaign (89,996 residents)Waukegan (89,076 residents)Cicero (82,797 residents)Bloomington (78,907 residents)Schaumburg (76,868 residents)Evanston (76,340 residents)Arlington Heights (76,005 residents)Bolingbrook (74,096 residents)Decatur (69,815 residents)Palatine (66,293 residents)Skokie (66,219 residents)Des Plaines (59,156 residents)Orland Park (57,916 residents)Oak Lawn (56,861 residents)Berwyn (55,595 residents)Mount Prospect (55,472 residents)Tinley Park (54,842 residents)Normal (53,569 residents)Wheaton (53,557 residents)Oak Park (53,292 residents)Hoffman Estates (51,175 residents)Downers Grove (50,054 residents)Glenview (47,752 residents)Plainfield (46,708 residents)Elmhurst (45,671 residents)Lombard (43,619 residents)Buffalo Grove (42,891 residents)Moline (42,197 residents)Belleville (41,370 residents)Romeoville (41,152 residents)Crystal Lake (40,579 residents)Bartlett (40,501 residents)DeKalb (40,443 residents)Carol Stream (39,460 residents)Urbana (39,341 residents)Quincy (39,109 residents)Streamwood (39,001 residents)Park Ridge (38,667 residents)Wheeling (38,433 residents)Carpentersville (37,346 residents)Hanover Park (36,732 residents)Oswego (36,375 residents)Rock Island (36,151 residents)Addison (35,489 residents)Calumet City (35,100 residents)Northbrook (34,585 residents)Woodridge (33,941 residents)St. Charles (32,854 residents)Glendale Heights (32,808 residents)O'Fallon (32,262 residents)Elk Grove Village (31,987 residents)Mundelein (31,915 residents)Pekin (31,781 residents)North Chicago (30,643 residents)Gurnee (30,510 residents)Highland Park (30,398 residents)Algonquin (30,067 residents)Niles (30,064 residents)Galesburg (29,481 residents)Lake in the Hills (28,800 residents)Burbank (28,739 residents)Danville (28,595 residents)Glen Ellyn (28,390 residents)Lansing (28,284 residents)McHenry (28,074 residents)New Lenox (28,006 residents)Huntley (28,005 residents)Wilmette (27,503 residents)Batavia (27,151 residents)Round Lake Beach (27,079 residents)Vernon Hills (26,876 residents)Oak Forest (26,805 residents)Chicago Heights (26,736 residents)Granite City (26,549 residents)Edwardsville (26,474 residents)Lockport (26,409 residents)Woodstock (26,147 residents)West Chicago (25,395 residents)Alton (25,279 residents)Belvidere (24,752 residents)Morton Grove (24,619 residents)Zion (24,600 residents)Melrose Park (24,549 residents)Homer Glen (24,529 residents)South Elgin (24,217 residents)Collinsville (24,031 residents)Rolling Meadows (24,027 residents)Kankakee (23,996 residents)Elmwood Park (23,868 residents)Westmont (23,724 residents)Yorkville (23,617 residents)Freeport (23,505 residents)
Map of Illinois: the 100 largest cities

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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Urbana#1
2.4%commute of 45 minutes or more
100cities ranked
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Ranking

CITY (100 largest of Illinois) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Among the 100 largest places in Illinois, Urbana has the smallest share of long commutes (2.4%), followed by Danville and Champaign. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.

What the ranking shows

Across the 100 places in Illinois that we cover, the median is 18.6% and the average 18.5%; the figure runs from 2.4% (Urbana) to 33.3% (Homer Glen). That is a spread of 14.1 times between the two ends. The state figure is 19.7%; 44 of the 100 places are above it and 56 at or below.

How to use it

The first five are Urbana, Danville, Champaign, Quincy, Moline. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: short commutes can mean a self-contained job market or a small town with few employers. 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.

Sort:
# ⇅City ⇅County ⇅Commute of 45 minutes or more ⇅Population ⇅Median household income ⇅Median rent ⇅
1UrbanaChampaign County2.4%39,341$45,346$972
2DanvilleVermilion County3.6%28,595$45,957$846
3ChampaignChampaign County3.7%89,996$56,118$1,123
4QuincyAdams County4.3%39,109$56,480$837
5MolineRock Island County4.8%42,197$67,701$900
6PeoriaPeoria County5.1%112,169$59,410$1,005
7SpringfieldSangamon County5.8%113,330$66,064$975
8NormalMcLean County6.0%53,569$64,785$965
9Rock IslandRock Island County6.4%36,151$59,041$842
10BloomingtonMcLean County6.5%78,907$77,384$1,050
11North ChicagoLake County6.6%30,643$60,172$1,426
12PekinTazewell County7.6%31,781$60,790$819
13DecaturMacon County7.8%69,815$51,592$845
14CollinsvilleMadison County7.9%24,031$67,612$1,038
15Granite CityMadison County8.0%26,549$59,205$834
16GalesburgKnox County8.7%29,481$48,297$801
17FreeportStephenson County9.1%23,505$51,723$793
18RockfordWinnebago County10.9%147,521$54,752$985
19BellevilleSaint Clair County11.6%41,370$63,535$1,019
20O'FallonSaint Clair County11.7%32,262$105,982$1,332
21AltonMadison County12.3%25,279$54,568$1,015
22EdwardsvilleMadison County13.3%26,474$86,721$1,306
23KankakeeKankakee County13.7%23,996$47,514$1,023
24BelvidereBoone County13.7%24,752$64,528$991
25AddisonDuPage County14.2%35,489$90,431$1,245
26Vernon HillsLake County14.6%26,876$121,943$1,903
27Glendale HeightsDuPage County14.7%32,808$86,545$1,590
28WaukeganLake County14.8%89,076$71,919$1,205
29Rolling MeadowsCook County14.9%24,027$98,514$1,607
30WheelingCook County15.1%38,433$85,205$1,663
31Elk Grove VillageCook County15.4%31,987$94,175$1,618
32PalatineCook County15.7%66,293$97,819$1,549
33Buffalo GroveLake County16.0%42,891$129,395$2,037
34GurneeLake County16.0%30,510$119,628$1,655
35DeKalbDeKalb County16.1%40,443$46,481$1,029
36LombardDuPage County16.2%43,619$100,362$1,948
37West ChicagoDuPage County16.3%25,395$99,927$1,469
38Mount ProspectCook County16.3%55,472$101,720$1,502
39WoodstockMcHenry County16.4%26,147$82,758$1,212
40WheatonDuPage County16.8%53,557$120,008$1,799
41Melrose ParkCook County16.8%24,549$66,189$1,176
42AuroraKane County17.1%179,898$93,633$1,596
43WestmontDuPage County17.1%23,724$88,090$1,533
44St. CharlesKane County17.3%32,854$114,300$1,819
45Arlington HeightsCook County17.5%76,005$116,723$1,760
46NilesCook County17.9%30,064$75,274$1,336
47ZionLake County18.4%24,600$63,104$1,186
48SchaumburgCook County18.4%76,868$97,514$1,812
49CarpentersvilleKane County18.6%37,346$86,917$1,414
50Des PlainesCook County18.6%59,156$97,875$1,606
51MundeleinLake County18.6%31,915$108,340$1,566
52Hoffman EstatesCook County18.7%51,175$106,806$1,734
53GlenviewCook County18.8%47,752$143,056$2,148
54Hanover ParkDuPage County19.3%36,732$91,763$1,594
55Highland ParkLake County19.6%30,398$168,094$1,925
56StreamwoodCook County19.7%39,001$101,218$1,809
57Carol StreamDuPage County19.8%39,460$102,309$1,529
58ElginKane County20.2%114,934$90,282$1,361
59CiceroCook County20.3%82,797$70,842$1,154
60BartlettDuPage County20.3%40,501$133,240$1,883
61NorthbrookCook County20.7%34,585$157,782$2,463
62Downers GroveDuPage County20.8%50,054$115,114$1,656
63SkokieCook County21.0%66,219$95,337$1,552
64JolietWill County21.1%150,445$92,201$1,276
65BerwynCook County21.3%55,595$78,408$1,215
66BataviaKane County21.5%27,151$120,056$1,347
67EvanstonCook County21.6%76,340$96,434$1,762
68Morton GroveCook County21.8%24,619$111,116$2,164
69Chicago HeightsCook County22.1%26,736$54,798$1,038
70Park RidgeCook County22.2%38,667$142,986$1,537
71South ElginKane County22.7%24,217$127,203$1,640
72WoodridgeDuPage County22.8%33,941$101,000$1,494
73HuntleyMcHenry County23.2%28,005$88,536$1,622
74BolingbrookWill County23.8%74,096$108,400$1,749
75NapervilleDuPage County23.9%150,692$155,105$1,885
76McHenryMcHenry County24.0%28,074$86,315$1,553
77ElmhurstDuPage County24.5%45,671$149,644$1,975
78RomeovilleWill County24.6%41,152$106,325$1,886
79Glen EllynDuPage County25.4%28,390$140,938$1,433
80Crystal LakeMcHenry County25.5%40,579$108,418$1,468
81Round Lake BeachLake County25.6%27,079$86,059$1,543
82BurbankCook County26.7%28,739$80,116$1,265
83AlgonquinMcHenry County27.2%30,067$134,525$1,723
84Oak ForestCook County27.3%26,805$91,990$1,328
85Oak LawnCook County27.4%56,861$83,911$1,335
86PlainfieldWill County27.5%46,708$144,000$2,119
87ChicagoCook County27.5%2,711,226$77,902$1,440
88Calumet CityCook County27.6%35,100$55,369$1,177
89OswegoKendall County27.8%36,375$123,792$1,860
90LockportWill County27.9%26,409$111,981$1,525
91LansingCook County28.6%28,284$75,569$1,268
92Oak ParkCook County28.9%53,292$110,820$1,593
93Tinley ParkCook County29.8%54,842$105,189$1,495
94New LenoxWill County30.9%28,006$140,865$1,431
95Orland ParkCook County31.2%57,916$98,910$1,440
96Elmwood ParkCook County31.4%23,868$91,955$1,334
97YorkvilleKendall County31.4%23,617$108,513$1,662
98Lake in the HillsMcHenry County31.6%28,800$117,151$1,689
99WilmetteCook County32.6%27,503$190,662$1,978
100Homer GlenWill County33.3%24,529$136,678$1,861

Other rankings for Illinois

Largest Cities · Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work

Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.

FAQ

Which Illinois city has the smallest share of long commutes?

Urbana, with 2.4% (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).

How many cities are ranked?

The 100 largest places in Illinois by population.

Sources

Sources

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