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Largest suburbs of Chicago, by population

Population, 2020–24 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year estimates · updated 2026-11-15

Aurora, IL is the largest suburb of Chicago, with 179,898 residents.

The 10 largest suburbs hold 1,073,823 residents combined (American Community Survey 2020–24), equal to 11% of the 9,434,123 residents of the metro area (Census estimate, July 2025).

Chicago itself has 2,711,226 residents; 234 suburbs have at least 5,000.

See population for the Chicago area on ProMap

Largest suburbs of Chicago, by population: the first 30 of 234

Cities and towns in the Chicago area with at least 5,000 residents and a published figure are ranked (234); Chicago itself is left out.
RankCity or townPopulationTypical home valueMedian household income
1Aurora, IL179,898$323,000$93,633
2Naperville, IL150,692$618,000$155,105
3Joliet, IL150,445$268,000$92,201
4Elgin, IL114,934$340,000$90,282
5Waukegan, IL89,076$247,000$71,919
6Cicero, IL82,797$278,000$70,842
7Schaumburg, IL76,868$357,000$97,514
8Hammond, IN76,768$177,000$55,504
9Evanston, IL76,340$491,000$96,434
10Arlington Heights, IL76,005$493,000$116,723
11Bolingbrook, IL74,096$369,000$108,400
12Gary, IN68,113$87,485$38,731
13Palatine, IL66,293$390,000$97,819
14Skokie, IL66,219$427,000$95,337
15Des Plaines, IL59,156$356,000$97,875
16Orland Park, IL57,916$411,000$98,910
17Oak Lawn, IL56,861$299,000$83,911
18Berwyn, IL55,595$318,000$78,408
19Mount Prospect, IL55,472$449,000$101,720
20Tinley Park, IL54,842$335,000$105,189
21Wheaton, IL53,557$507,000$120,008
22Oak Park, IL53,292$480,000$110,820
23Hoffman Estates, IL51,175$404,000$106,806
24Downers Grove, IL50,054$503,000$115,114
25Glenview, IL47,752$692,000$143,056
26Plainfield, IL46,708$429,000$144,000
27Elmhurst, IL45,671$635,000$149,644
28Lombard, IL43,619$386,000$100,362
29Buffalo Grove, IL42,891$444,000$129,395
30Romeoville, IL41,152$323,000$106,325
Cities and towns in the Chicago area, shaded by population10987654321
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000–14,000
  • 14,000–22,000
  • 22,000–34,000
  • 34,000 or more
  • Not ranked
Cities and towns in the Chicago area, shaded by population. Numbers mark the first 10 places in the table; dashed lines are county borders. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year estimates.

More rankings for the Chicago area

Largest suburbs (population) in other metro areas

Source and method

Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year estimates; figures for 2020–24. Cities and towns in the Chicago area with at least 5,000 residents and a published figure are ranked (234); Chicago itself is left out. The metro area is the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area. Place names for ZIP codes are the neighborhood or city the ZIP code mostly covers. Compiled by Home Economics.

Zillow's "typical" home value and rent are index values for the middle of the market (the Zillow Home Value Index and Observed Rent Index), not median sale prices or asking rents. One-year changes are over the 12 months to September 2026. Income and population come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and carry sampling error, most of all in small places.

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