Illinois will always be as lucky and wealthy as a lottery winner because they house the Chicago Bears. However, there is more to Illinois than just its great sports teams: there are super wealthy cities in the Land of Lincoln that placate the rich and famous.
You can stop your search if you’re looking for safe cities and neighborhoods, amazing schools, and high-end shopping with a bank account to match. The cities in our top ten Richest Cities in Illinois have these 5-star amenities, and then some. They are mainly centralized around Chi-town.
Cities on our list, like Glencoe, offer beachfront access to Lake Michigan, and cities like Deerfield provide upscale golf courses enough to play a different course every day of the week. Now, it’s not lost on us that there are multiple cities on our ten best cities to live in Illinois for 2024 that are also on our richest list.
Wealthy cities tend to have it all.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Illinois For 2024
How does one get their hand on one of these Illinois gems? You’ll need to find a job that averages $150,000/year. Might we suggest a career in real estate in our number one richest city? The median home price in this city is $700,000.
What city in Illinois is the richest? The wealthiest city in Illinois is Winnetka.
To see which cities come out as the wealthiest in Illinois for 2024, grab a slice of deep-dish pizza at a nice, quiet spot on Lake Michigan and look at the list below.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Illinois:
The 10 Richest Cities In Illinois For 2024
1. Winnetka
/10
Population: 12,607
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $1,450,397
More on Winnetka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Hinsdale
/10
Population: 17,169
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Values: $1,010,524
More on Hinsdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Glencoe
/10
Population: 8,787
Median Income: $228,750
Median Home Values: $1,230,212
More on Glencoe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Riverwoods
/10
5. South Barrington
/10
6. Long Grove
/10
Population: 8,279
Median Income: $236,172
Median Home Values: $799,502
More on Long Grove: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Kildeer
/10
8. Lake Forest
/10
Population: 19,436
Median Income: $202,153
Median Home Values: $997,291
More on Lake Forest: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. North Barrington
/10
Population: 3,119
Median Income: $212,321
Median Home Values: $751,745
More on North Barrington: Real Estate
10. Barrington Hills
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Illinois For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 417 places with more than 3,000 people in Illinois, we ranked each place from 1 to 417 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Winnetka, crowned the “Richest City In Illinois For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Illinois.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 417 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Illinois For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Illinois, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Illinois.
The richest cities in Illinois are Winnetka, Hinsdale, Glencoe, Riverwoods, South Barrington, Long Grove, Kildeer, Lake Forest, North Barrington, and Barrington Hills.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Illinois, according to data:
Poorest: East St. Louis
2nd Poorest: Eldorado
3rd Poorest: Harrisburg
For more Illinois reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Illinois
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winnetka | 1.5 | $250,001 | $1,450,397 |
| 2 | Hinsdale | 2.5 | $250,001 | $1,010,524 |
| 3 | Glencoe | 4.0 | $228,750 | $1,230,212 |
| 4 | Riverwoods | 6.0 | $233,036 | $830,320 |
| 5 | South Barrington | 6.0 | $226,042 | $957,504 |
| 6 | Long Grove | 6.5 | $236,172 | $799,502 |
| 7 | Kildeer | 7.0 | $250,001 | $740,797 |
| 8 | Lake Forest | 7.5 | $202,153 | $997,291 |
| 9 | North Barrington | 10.0 | $212,321 | $751,745 |
| 10 | Barrington Hills | 11.0 | $185,278 | $853,087 |
| 11 | Inverness | 12.5 | $207,623 | $700,604 |
| 12 | Western Springs | 13.0 | $198,836 | $700,654 |
| 13 | Wilmette | 13.5 | $183,750 | $792,941 |
| 14 | Hawthorn Woods | 14.0 | $215,817 | $632,847 |
| 15 | Burr Ridge | 15.5 | $174,342 | $724,731 |
| 16 | Oak Brook | 16.0 | $158,663 | $823,438 |
| 17 | Campton Hills | 18.5 | $192,432 | $570,534 |
| 18 | Deer Park | 19.0 | $172,586 | $649,370 |
| 19 | Lake Bluff | 21.0 | $190,179 | $531,837 |
| 20 | Highland Park | 21.0 | $159,567 | $633,282 |
| 21 | Northfield | 22.5 | $146,538 | $689,829 |
| 22 | Lincolnshire | 23.5 | $155,395 | $626,704 |
| 23 | Deerfield | 23.5 | $185,762 | $520,189 |
| 24 | Barrington | 24.5 | $160,171 | $536,565 |
| 25 | Northbrook | 25.0 | $150,236 | $573,899 |
| 26 | Libertyville | 25.5 | $161,302 | $523,474 |
| 27 | River Forest | 26.5 | $144,784 | $625,449 |
| 28 | Green Oaks | 29.5 | $135,217 | $684,550 |
| 29 | Naperville | 30.5 | $143,754 | $527,805 |
| 30 | Riverside | 32.5 | $149,464 | $476,379 |
| 31 | La Grange | 33.0 | $141,235 | $522,753 |
| 32 | Elmhurst | 33.0 | $143,492 | $500,450 |
| 33 | Frankfort | 33.5 | $157,615 | $439,784 |
| 34 | Glenview | 35.0 | $134,910 | $556,329 |
| 35 | Park Ridge | 36.5 | $137,964 | $491,808 |
| 36 | Lemont | 42.0 | $128,694 | $491,388 |
| 37 | Sleepy Hollow | 42.0 | $139,955 | $412,640 |
| 38 | Geneva | 42.5 | $132,799 | $465,349 |
| 39 | Homer Glen | 43.5 | $130,235 | $460,898 |
| 40 | Glen Ellyn | 44.0 | $128,132 | $483,880 |
| 41 | Lake Zurich | 44.5 | $135,211 | $420,351 |
| 42 | Palos Park | 45.0 | $128,370 | $472,000 |
| 43 | Clarendon Hills | 46.5 | $115,923 | $561,818 |
| 44 | Winfield | 47.0 | $136,696 | $401,970 |
| 45 | Lake Barrington | 49.5 | $126,316 | $434,652 |
| 46 | New Lenox | 51.0 | $129,797 | $397,624 |
| 47 | Plainfield | 54.0 | $143,064 | $363,320 |
| 48 | Mokena | 55.0 | $122,235 | $406,985 |
| 49 | Downers Grove | 57.5 | $115,461 | $424,001 |
| 50 | Buffalo Grove | 58.5 | $127,553 | $378,470 |
| 51 | Bartlett | 58.5 | $126,555 | $383,920 |
| 52 | Wheaton | 58.5 | $113,523 | $431,270 |
| 53 | Spring Grove | 59.0 | $137,891 | $357,347 |
| 54 | Sugar Grove | 61.5 | $118,628 | $393,885 |
| 55 | La Grange Park | 61.5 | $113,419 | $412,033 |
| 56 | Arlington Heights | 62.5 | $113,502 | $403,495 |
| 57 | Wadsworth | 62.5 | $115,707 | $395,868 |
| 58 | Batavia | 64.5 | $113,824 | $394,060 |
| 59 | Algonquin | 65.5 | $129,658 | $353,976 |
| 60 | Vernon Hills | 66.0 | $117,253 | $378,263 |
| 61 | St. Charles | 68.5 | $110,346 | $402,795 |
| 62 | Gilberts | 69.0 | $120,568 | $358,792 |
| 63 | Shorewood | 69.0 | $119,904 | $361,403 |
| 64 | Itasca | 69.5 | $113,162 | $380,589 |
| 65 | Manhattan | 71.0 | $123,307 | $351,681 |
| 66 | Darien | 72.0 | $110,546 | $391,312 |
| 67 | Flossmoor | 73.0 | $140,703 | $318,241 |
| 68 | Elburn | 74.5 | $106,347 | $400,516 |
| 69 | Oswego | 76.5 | $112,109 | $366,702 |
| 70 | Volo | 78.5 | $128,389 | $321,791 |
| 71 | Highwood | 80.5 | $105,282 | $389,661 |
| 72 | Lincolnwood | 80.5 | $99,390 | $473,704 |
| 73 | Minooka | 82.0 | $119,730 | $328,918 |
| 74 | Lisle | 83.0 | $106,265 | $368,104 |
| 75 | Oak Park | 83.0 | $103,264 | $391,539 |
| 76 | Channahon | 84.0 | $112,771 | $337,892 |
| 77 | Fox River Grove | 86.5 | $121,705 | $317,602 |
| 78 | Johnsburg | 87.0 | $110,000 | $345,969 |
| 79 | South Elgin | 87.5 | $118,293 | $318,828 |
| 80 | Gurnee | 87.5 | $112,633 | $331,348 |
| 81 | Morton Grove | 88.0 | $102,940 | $375,363 |
| 82 | Yorkville | 89.0 | $105,322 | $357,096 |
| 83 | Hoffman Estates | 89.5 | $107,428 | $343,446 |
| 84 | Palos Heights | 90.0 | $105,366 | $354,730 |
| 85 | Lake Villa | 90.0 | $126,711 | $304,977 |
| 86 | Sherman | 91.0 | $139,475 | $291,673 |
| 87 | Mount Prospect | 92.0 | $100,526 | $372,693 |
| 88 | Lake In The Hills | 92.0 | $110,988 | $326,092 |
| 89 | Hampshire | 93.5 | $104,746 | $351,414 |
| 90 | Pingree Grove | 94.5 | $106,597 | $332,287 |
| 91 | Lindenhurst | 95.0 | $124,690 | $300,487 |
| 92 | West Dundee | 96.5 | $99,653 | $366,743 |
| 93 | North Aurora | 96.5 | $104,547 | $338,366 |
| 94 | Evanston | 97.5 | $93,188 | $410,543 |
| 95 | Bloomingdale | 98.5 | $96,779 | $375,771 |
| 96 | Cary | 98.5 | $107,158 | $322,042 |
| 97 | Orland Park | 100.0 | $97,365 | $367,054 |
| 98 | Grayslake | 100.5 | $110,662 | $311,008 |
| 99 | Mahomet | 101.0 | $114,083 | $301,578 |
| 100 | Roselle | 101.0 | $104,167 | $331,035 |