Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree

Winnetka, IL had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 225 cities in 2023, at 87.3%. Harvey, IL had the lowest, at 10.1%. The median was 35.9% and the figure for Illinois was 37.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest87.3Winnetka, IL

Lowest10.1Harvey, IL

Median35.9225 cities

Illinois37.2History

Top 40 cities, 2023

%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2023 (%)	Change on 2022
1	Winnetka, IL	87.3	-2.3 pts
2	Wilmette, IL	84.6	+1.1 pts
3	Deerfield, IL	82.7	+0.6 pts
4	Western Springs, IL	82	+0.6 pts
5	Hinsdale, IL	81.3	+0.5 pts
6	Lake Forest, IL	80.8	+0.5 pts
7	Highland Park, IL	76.1	-0.3 pts
8	River Forest, IL	73.4	-2.9 pts
9	Northbrook, IL	73.1	+0.7 pts
10	Barrington, IL	72.6	+0.2 pts
11	Oak Park, IL	72.5	+0.7 pts
12	Naperville, IL	71.7	+0.9 pts
13	Libertyville, IL	71.5	-0.5 pts
14	Evanston, IL	70.3	+1 pts
15	Burr Ridge, IL	69.2	-0.2 pts
16	Glen Ellyn, IL	68.3	+0.1 pts
17	Glenview, IL	68.1	-1.5 pts
18	Vernon Hills, IL	66.7	+0.8 pts
19	Buffalo Grove, IL	66.6	-0.5 pts
20	La Grange, IL	65.5	+4.2 pts
21	Park Ridge, IL	65.1	+1.2 pts
22	Wheaton, IL	64.1	-0.4 pts
23	Geneva, IL	63.8	+2.6 pts
24	Elmhurst, IL	63	-0.6 pts
25	Lisle, IL	62.4	-0.6 pts
26	Lake Zurich, IL	61.2	+2.9 pts
27	Arlington Heights, IL	60.2	+0.7 pts
28	Winfield, IL	59.9	-2.3 pts
29	La Grange Park, IL	59.7	-0.4 pts
30	Frankfort, IL	59.2	-0.8 pts
31	Grayslake, IL	59.1	0 pts
32	Downers Grove, IL	58.8	-0 pts
33	Urbana, IL	58.4	-0 pts
34	Campton Hills, IL	57.7	-1.7 pts
35	Lincolnwood, IL	56.8	-0.7 pts
36	Batavia, IL	55.1	+0.9 pts
37	Plainfield, IL	54.9	+1.1 pts
38	Gurnee, IL	54.4	-1.1 pts
39	Edwardsville, IL	54.3	-1.9 pts
40	Champaign, IL	53.6	+1.9 pts
41	Mahomet, IL	52.8	+0.5 pts
42	Normal, IL	52.5	-1.4 pts
43	Morton Grove, IL	52.1	+1.2 pts
44	Glen Carbon, IL	51.9	-1.1 pts
45	Darien, IL	51.7	-0.7 pts
46	O'Fallon, IL	51.3	+0.7 pts
47	St. Charles, IL	51.2	-0.8 pts
48	Columbia, IL	51	-0.1 pts
49	Skokie, IL	50.8	-0.2 pts
50	Schaumburg, IL	50.6	+1.6 pts
51	Palatine, IL	49.8	+0.5 pts
52	Forest Park, IL	49.8	-2.7 pts
53	Chatham, IL	49.4	+1.7 pts
54	Westmont, IL	49.3	+0.3 pts
55	Lombard, IL	49.2	-0.8 pts
56	Bloomington, IL	48.9	+1.9 pts
57	Mount Prospect, IL	48.6	+1.5 pts
58	Bartlett, IL	48.5	+0.4 pts
59	Hoffman Estates, IL	46.9	-1.9 pts
60	Carbondale, IL	46.3	-0.1 pts
61	Woodridge, IL	46.1	-0.9 pts
62	Homewood, IL	46.1	+2.5 pts
63	Westchester, IL	45.7	+1.8 pts
64	Lemont, IL	45.6	+0.9 pts
65	Cary, IL	45.5	-0.3 pts
66	New Lenox, IL	45.5	-0 pts
67	Troy, IL	45.5	+7.7 pts
68	Orland Park, IL	45	+1.8 pts
69	Pingree Grove, IL	44.7	-4.7 pts
70	Mokena, IL	44.5	-1.4 pts
71	Lockport, IL	44.4	+0.7 pts
72	Lindenhurst, IL	44.1	+1.2 pts
73	Washington, IL	43.8	+0.4 pts
74	Carol Stream, IL	43.8	+0.8 pts
75	Bloomingdale, IL	43.7	+0.9 pts
76	Algonquin, IL	43.6	+0.1 pts
77	Sycamore, IL	43.6	-1.2 pts
78	Oswego, IL	43.5	+1.2 pts
79	Chicago, IL	43.3	+0.9 pts
80	Swansea, IL	43.1	-0.8 pts
81	Palos Heights, IL	43	-2.1 pts
82	Morton, IL	42.9	+2.4 pts
82	Mundelein, IL	42.9	+0.3 pts
84	Evergreen Park, IL	42.9	+0.5 pts
85	Warrenville, IL	42.5	+0.7 pts
86	Crystal Lake, IL	42	+1.4 pts
87	Shiloh, IL	42	+2 pts
88	Brookfield, IL	41.8	+1.4 pts
89	Roselle, IL	41.8	+2.4 pts
90	Antioch, IL	41.7	+1.7 pts
91	Shorewood, IL	41	+2.1 pts
92	Elk Grove Village, IL	40.9	+0.7 pts
93	North Aurora, IL	40.8	+1.7 pts
94	Yorkville, IL	40.7	+0.9 pts
95	Round Lake, IL	40.5	+1.1 pts
96	Rolling Meadows, IL	40.5	-1.1 pts
97	Wheeling, IL	40.3	-0.1 pts
98	Matteson, IL	40.2	-0.4 pts
99	Wauconda, IL	39.4	-0.9 pts
100	Huntley, IL	39.3	+0.2 pts
101	Niles, IL	39	-1 pts
102	Des Plaines, IL	38.7	+0.6 pts
103	Bolingbrook, IL	38.5	+0.1 pts
103	Homer Glen, IL	38.5	+0.8 pts
105	Tinley Park, IL	38.4	+0.6 pts
106	South Elgin, IL	38.4	+1.2 pts
107	Peoria, IL	38	+0.5 pts
108	Aurora, IL	37.2	+2 pts
109	Villa Park, IL	37.2	+1.7 pts
110	Lake in the Hills, IL	36.7	-2.4 pts
111	Waterloo, IL	36.4	+1.7 pts
112	Prospect Heights, IL	36.3	-0.9 pts
113	Manhattan, IL	35.9	+3.5 pts
114	DeKalb, IL	35.7	-3 pts
115	Macomb, IL	35.4	-1.5 pts
116	Springfield, IL	35.1	+0.3 pts
117	Charleston, IL	34.2	+1.1 pts
118	Godfrey, IL	33.4	+1.9 pts
119	Bourbonnais, IL	33	-2.4 pts
120	Roscoe, IL	32.7	-1 pts
121	West Chicago, IL	32.3	+0.4 pts
122	Fairview Heights, IL	32.1	-0.1 pts
123	Woodstock, IL	31.4	+0.1 pts
124	Highland, IL	31.3	+2.4 pts
125	Richton Park, IL	30.5	-1.4 pts
126	Oak Lawn, IL	30.2	+1 pts
127	Oak Forest, IL	30.1	-1.1 pts
128	Glendale Heights, IL	30.1	+1.7 pts
129	Collinsville, IL	29.9	+0.9 pts
130	Channahon, IL	29.8	-1 pts
131	Minooka, IL	29.7	-4.7 pts
132	Elmwood Park, IL	29.5	-1.4 pts
133	Hanover Park, IL	29.5	+2 pts
134	Norridge, IL	29.4	+0.6 pts
135	Streamwood, IL	29.2	+1.6 pts
136	Moline, IL	29.1	+0.5 pts
137	Montgomery, IL	29	+0.6 pts
138	Belleville, IL	28	+1.6 pts
139	Schiller Park, IL	27.8	+1.9 pts
140	Effingham, IL	27.8	+2.3 pts
141	Chicago Ridge, IL	27.7	+1.7 pts
142	Lansing, IL	27.7	+2.3 pts
143	Country Club Hills, IL	27.6	-0.5 pts
144	Plano, IL	27.6	+2.9 pts
145	Marion, IL	27.4	-0.3 pts
146	South Holland, IL	27	-0.9 pts
147	East Peoria, IL	26.8	+0.3 pts
148	Quincy, IL	26.6	0 pts
149	Elgin, IL	26	-0.7 pts
150	River Grove, IL	25.8	+2.3 pts
151	Park Forest, IL	25.8	-0.3 pts
152	Hickory Hills, IL	25.6	+0.3 pts
153	McHenry, IL	25.5	-1.4 pts
154	Morris, IL	25.5	-0.7 pts
155	Berwyn, IL	25.4	+0.9 pts
156	Joliet, IL	25	+0.2 pts
157	Palos Hills, IL	25	-2 pts
158	Loves Park, IL	24.9	-0.9 pts
159	Wood Dale, IL	24.3	+0.5 pts
160	Hazel Crest, IL	24	-4.4 pts
161	Carpentersville, IL	24	+0.9 pts
162	Herrin, IL	23.8	-1.6 pts
163	Jacksonville, IL	23.6	+1.2 pts
164	Fox Lake, IL	23.3	-0.7 pts
165	Rockford, IL	23.2	+0.2 pts
166	Romeoville, IL	23.1	+0.8 pts
167	Crestwood, IL	23.1	-1.6 pts
168	Dolton, IL	22.7	-0.4 pts
169	Rock Island, IL	22.4	-0.1 pts
170	Ottawa, IL	21.9	+1.5 pts
171	Addison, IL	21.9	-2.2 pts
172	Crest Hill, IL	21.5	+0.6 pts
173	Alsip, IL	21.3	-0.2 pts
174	Decatur, IL	21.3	-0.1 pts
175	Alton, IL	21.2	+1.1 pts
176	East Moline, IL	21	+1.1 pts
176	Waukegan, IL	21	-0.4 pts
178	Bensenville, IL	20.6	-1.6 pts
179	Calumet City, IL	20.5	+0.7 pts
180	Chicago Heights, IL	20.2	+0.6 pts
181	Freeport, IL	20	+1.9 pts
182	Worth, IL	19.8	+1.3 pts
183	Mattoon, IL	19.5	+0.6 pts
184	Blue Island, IL	19.3	+3 pts
185	Galesburg, IL	19.3	+0.1 pts
186	North Chicago, IL	19.1	-2.1 pts
187	Justice, IL	19.1	+2.5 pts
188	Mount Vernon, IL	19	-0.5 pts
189	Pekin, IL	19	+0.9 pts
190	Midlothian, IL	18.9	-0.2 pts
191	Franklin Park, IL	18.7	-0.4 pts
192	Sterling, IL	18.5	+2 pts
193	Lincoln, IL	18.2	-0.4 pts
194	Machesney Park, IL	18.1	+1.3 pts
195	Bridgeview, IL	17.9	+0.2 pts
196	Centralia, IL	17.8	-0.4 pts
197	Bradley, IL	17.8	+3.1 pts
198	Danville, IL	17.3	+0.1 pts
199	Dixon, IL	17.2	-1.1 pts
200	Riverdale, IL	17.2	+1.2 pts
201	Round Lake Beach, IL	16.8	+0.2 pts
202	Lyons, IL	16.8	+1.3 pts
203	Maywood, IL	16.7	+1.2 pts
204	Canton, IL	16.7	-0.4 pts
205	Taylorville, IL	16.4	-2.1 pts
206	Granite City, IL	16.2	+1.6 pts
207	Zion, IL	16.2	-0.9 pts
208	Pontiac, IL	16.1	-0.6 pts
209	Bellwood, IL	15.7	-0.4 pts
210	Markham, IL	15.6	-0.3 pts
211	Wood River, IL	15.5	+1.3 pts
212	Beach Park, IL	15.5	-0.7 pts
213	Burbank, IL	15.5	+0.5 pts
214	Northlake, IL	15.4	-0.1 pts
215	Kewanee, IL	15.1	+1 pts
216	Melrose Park, IL	14.7	+1.3 pts
217	East St. Louis, IL	14.7	+2.3 pts
218	Belvidere, IL	13.2	+0.8 pts
219	Kankakee, IL	12.5	-0.5 pts
220	Streator, IL	12.3	-1.5 pts
221	Summit, IL	12.1	-0.6 pts
222	Cahokia Heights, IL	11.9	-0.2 pts
223	Rantoul, IL	11.9	-0.5 pts
224	Cicero, IL	11	-0.4 pts
225	Harvey, IL	10.1	-0.6 pts

Other periods

2024
2023
2022
2021

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Excludes associate degrees and college without a degree. Not comparable with EU tertiary attainment, which includes short-cycle tertiary education and usually covers ages 25 to 64.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_illinois_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Embed code

<iframe src="https://invokely.ai/embed/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/illinois-cities?period=2023" width="760" height="500" title="Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor&#39;s degree, 2023, chart from Invokely" loading="lazy" style="border:0;width:100%;max-width:760px" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe>

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Cities in Illinois by share of adults with a bachelor's degree using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"bachelors_degree_share","level":"municipality","within":"Illinois","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=bachelors_degree_share&level=municipality&within=Illinois&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which city has the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Winnetka, IL, with 87.3% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Harvey, IL, with 10.1% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.