Cities in Illinois by population

Chicago, IL had the highest population of 225 cities in 2023, at 2.7 million. Highland, IL had the lowest, at 10,027. The median was 21,222 and the figure for Illinois was 12.63 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest2,698,758Chicago, IL

Lowest10,027Highland, IL

Median21,222225 cities

Illinois12,633,389History

Top 40 cities, 2023

persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2023 persons	Change on 2022
1	Chicago, IL	2,698,758	+0.7%
2	Aurora, IL	179,717	+0.3%
3	Joliet, IL	151,166	+0.5%
4	Naperville, IL	150,769	+0.5%
5	Rockford, IL	146,578	-0.2%
6	Elgin, IL	113,988	+0.6%
7	Springfield, IL	112,977	-0.2%
8	Peoria, IL	110,719	-0.1%
9	Champaign, IL	90,212	+0.6%
10	Waukegan, IL	88,198	-0.1%
11	Cicero, IL	81,721	-0.4%
12	Bloomington, IL	78,678	-0.2%
13	Schaumburg, IL	76,386	+0.1%
14	Evanston, IL	75,991	+0.3%
15	Arlington Heights, IL	75,099	-0.2%
16	Bolingbrook, IL	74,390	+0.3%
17	Decatur, IL	68,753	-0.9%
18	Skokie, IL	65,503	-0.1%
19	Palatine, IL	65,378	-0.2%
20	Des Plaines, IL	58,491	-0.2%
21	Orland Park, IL	57,495	-0%
22	Oak Lawn, IL	56,186	-0.2%
23	Berwyn, IL	54,873	-0.4%
24	Mount Prospect, IL	54,772	-0.2%
25	Tinley Park, IL	54,295	-0.1%
26	Wheaton, IL	53,204	+0.2%
27	Normal, IL	52,932	+0.3%
28	Oak Park, IL	52,706	-0.2%
29	Hoffman Estates, IL	50,584	-0.2%
30	Downers Grove, IL	50,027	+1%
31	Plainfield, IL	47,579	+2.7%
32	Glenview, IL	47,214	-0%
33	Elmhurst, IL	45,663	+0.7%
34	Lombard, IL	44,061	+0.1%
35	Buffalo Grove, IL	42,750	+0.2%
36	Moline, IL	42,012	-0%
37	Romeoville, IL	41,330	+0.4%
38	Crystal Lake, IL	40,959	+0.7%
39	Belleville, IL	40,828	-1.1%
40	Bartlett, IL	40,252	+0.1%
41	DeKalb, IL	39,972	-0.1%
42	Urbana, IL	39,631	+0.1%
43	Carol Stream, IL	39,162	+0.1%
44	Quincy, IL	38,999	0%
45	Park Ridge, IL	38,248	-0.2%
46	Streamwood, IL	38,086	-0.2%
47	Wheeling, IL	38,060	+0.2%
48	Carpentersville, IL	37,286	-0.1%
49	Oswego, IL	37,060	+3.1%
50	Hanover Park, IL	36,425	-0%
51	Rock Island, IL	36,070	-0.3%
52	Addison, IL	35,353	+0.4%
53	Calumet City, IL	34,653	-0.2%
54	Northbrook, IL	34,312	+0.2%
55	Woodridge, IL	33,759	+0.3%
56	St. Charles, IL	32,873	+0.1%
57	Glendale Heights, IL	32,584	+0.1%
58	O'Fallon, IL	32,179	-0.2%
59	Mundelein, IL	31,990	+0.8%
60	Elk Grove Village, IL	31,737	-0.2%
61	North Chicago, IL	31,399	-0.3%
62	Pekin, IL	31,359	0%
63	Highland Park, IL	30,455	+0.6%
64	Gurnee, IL	30,376	-0.1%
65	Algonquin, IL	30,198	+0.8%
66	Niles, IL	29,781	-0.2%
67	Galesburg, IL	28,846	-1.4%
68	Lake in the Hills, IL	28,708	-0%
69	Glen Ellyn, IL	28,595	+0.2%
70	Burbank, IL	28,409	-0.2%
71	McHenry, IL	28,332	+0.2%
72	Huntley, IL	28,317	+0.7%
73	Danville, IL	28,242	-0.6%
74	New Lenox, IL	28,159	+1.9%
75	Lansing, IL	27,952	-0.2%
76	Wilmette, IL	27,261	-0.1%
77	Granite City, IL	26,990	-0.5%
78	Round Lake Beach, IL	26,941	-0.1%
79	Vernon Hills, IL	26,837	-0%
80	Lockport, IL	26,631	+1.9%
81	Edwardsville, IL	26,601	+0.2%
82	Batavia, IL	26,551	+0.5%
83	Oak Forest, IL	26,436	-0.2%
84	Chicago Heights, IL	26,414	-0.3%
85	Woodstock, IL	25,785	+0.3%
86	Belvidere, IL	25,365	+0.9%
87	West Chicago, IL	25,241	+0.1%
88	Alton, IL	25,133	-0.5%
89	Yorkville, IL	24,758	+3.4%
90	Homer Glen, IL	24,642	+0.6%
91	Zion, IL	24,449	-0.2%
92	South Elgin, IL	24,363	+1.5%
93	Morton Grove, IL	24,334	-0.2%
94	Westmont, IL	24,084	+0.1%
95	Collinsville, IL	23,888	-0.5%
96	Melrose Park, IL	23,821	-0.2%
97	Elmwood Park, IL	23,586	-0.2%
98	Rolling Meadows, IL	23,580	-0.2%
99	Kankakee, IL	23,530	-0.2%
100	Loves Park, IL	23,439	+0.3%
101	Freeport, IL	23,371	-0.5%
102	Lisle, IL	23,346	+0.2%
103	Maywood, IL	23,071	+0.5%
104	Machesney Park, IL	22,702	-0.1%
105	Roselle, IL	22,649	+0.4%
106	Bloomingdale, IL	22,404	+0.2%
107	East Peoria, IL	22,070	-0.2%
108	Montgomery, IL	21,987	+0.6%
109	Carbondale, IL	21,883	-0.3%
110	Villa Park, IL	21,847	0%
111	Darien, IL	21,820	+0.8%
112	Blue Island, IL	21,708	-0.2%
113	Geneva, IL	21,222	-0%
114	Grayslake, IL	21,092	+0.2%
115	Frankfort, IL	20,981	+1.3%
116	Park Forest, IL	20,922	-0.2%
117	South Holland, IL	20,663	-0.2%
118	Dolton, IL	20,587	-0.3%
119	Libertyville, IL	20,460	-0%
120	East Moline, IL	20,337	+0.2%
121	Crest Hill, IL	20,197	-0%
122	Mokena, IL	19,838	+0.2%
123	Lake Zurich, IL	19,824	+0.5%
124	Lake Forest, IL	19,600	+1%
125	Harvey, IL	19,559	-0.2%
126	Evergreen Park, IL	19,180	-0.3%
127	North Aurora, IL	19,133	+3.7%
128	Deerfield, IL	18,987	-0.1%
129	Brookfield, IL	18,800	-0.2%
130	Sycamore, IL	18,763	0%
131	Ottawa, IL	18,705	+0.4%
132	Homewood, IL	18,702	-0.3%
133	Round Lake, IL	18,530	-0.1%
134	Bensenville, IL	18,472	+0.1%
135	Shorewood, IL	18,442	+0.8%
136	Matteson, IL	18,435	-0%
137	Alsip, IL	18,365	-0.2%
138	Bellwood, IL	18,049	-0.3%
139	Cary, IL	17,996	+0.9%
140	Franklin Park, IL	17,976	-0.3%
141	East St. Louis, IL	17,909	-0.3%
142	Palos Hills, IL	17,907	+0.1%
143	Jacksonville, IL	17,878	-0.5%
144	Lemont, IL	17,735	+0.3%
145	Bourbonnais, IL	17,653	-0.4%
146	Godfrey, IL	17,646	-0.2%
147	Morton, IL	17,552	+1.1%
148	Charleston, IL	17,533	+0.4%
149	Hinsdale, IL	17,397	+0.7%
150	Cahokia Heights, IL	17,169	-1.1%
151	Marion, IL	16,857	+1%
152	Mattoon, IL	16,642	-0.3%
153	Bridgeview, IL	16,429	-0.2%
154	Westchester, IL	16,235	-0.3%
155	Fairview Heights, IL	16,200	-0.9%
156	Country Club Hills, IL	16,140	-0.2%
157	Washington, IL	15,869	0%
158	La Grange, IL	15,830	-0.2%
159	Prospect Heights, IL	15,465	-0.2%
160	Warrenville, IL	15,388	+0.8%
161	Bradley, IL	15,291	+0.4%
162	Macomb, IL	15,146	+0.4%
163	Antioch, IL	14,918	+0.6%
164	Norridge, IL	14,751	-0.3%
165	Shiloh, IL	14,749	+1.7%
166	Chatham, IL	14,552	+0.6%
167	Morris, IL	14,513	+0.7%
168	Sterling, IL	14,511	-0.2%
169	Swansea, IL	14,507	+2.9%
170	Dixon, IL	14,437	-2.3%
171	Lindenhurst, IL	14,423	+0.4%
172	Mount Vernon, IL	14,268	-0.2%
173	Channahon, IL	14,161	+1.6%
174	Beach Park, IL	14,118	-0.1%
175	Wood Dale, IL	14,028	+0.1%
176	Hickory Hills, IL	14,000	-0.2%
177	Wauconda, IL	13,973	-0.1%
178	Chicago Ridge, IL	13,970	-0.2%
179	Glen Carbon, IL	13,887	+0.2%
180	Midlothian, IL	13,774	-0.2%
181	Forest Park, IL	13,767	-0.3%
182	Western Springs, IL	13,397	+0.6%
183	La Grange Park, IL	13,386	+0.8%
184	Canton, IL	13,160	-0.6%
185	Lincoln, IL	13,060	-0.4%
186	Lincolnwood, IL	12,979	-0.1%
187	Hazel Crest, IL	12,965	-0.2%
188	Minooka, IL	12,855	+0.4%
189	Plano, IL	12,661	+1.4%
190	Richton Park, IL	12,423	-0.2%
191	Northlake, IL	12,404	-0.3%
192	Winnetka, IL	12,393	+0.1%
193	Effingham, IL	12,331	+0.7%
194	Streator, IL	12,263	-0.1%
195	Kewanee, IL	12,204	-0.6%
196	Herrin, IL	12,191	+0.1%
197	Justice, IL	12,185	-0.2%
198	Rantoul, IL	12,041	-0.7%
199	Palos Heights, IL	12,018	-0.2%
200	Centralia, IL	11,897	-0.6%
201	Troy, IL	11,704	+0.7%
202	Pingree Grove, IL	11,579	+1.9%
203	Schiller Park, IL	11,264	-0.2%
204	River Forest, IL	11,229	-1.1%
205	Markham, IL	11,224	-0.2%
206	Waterloo, IL	11,203	+0.5%
207	Burr Ridge, IL	11,078	+0.3%
208	Columbia, IL	11,007	0%
209	Pontiac, IL	10,944	-1.9%
210	Roscoe, IL	10,927	+0.2%
211	Fox Lake, IL	10,859	-0.2%
212	Campton Hills, IL	10,836	+0.5%
213	Summit, IL	10,715	-0.3%
214	Worth, IL	10,595	-0.1%
215	Manhattan, IL	10,577	+2.3%
216	Barrington, IL	10,562	-0.1%
217	Crestwood, IL	10,473	-0.1%
217	Taylorville, IL	10,473	-0.2%
219	Lyons, IL	10,388	-0.3%
220	River Grove, IL	10,372	-0.3%
221	Mahomet, IL	10,310	+2.7%
222	Wood River, IL	10,293	-0.5%
223	Riverdale, IL	10,241	-0.3%
224	Winfield, IL	10,109	+0.4%
225	Highland, IL	10,027	-0.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. 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). Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals) (Cities in Illinois by population, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/

MLA 9

Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in Illinois by population, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Cities in Illinois by population, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in Illinois by population, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_illinois_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in Illinois by population, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in Illinois by population, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Chicago, IL, with 2.7 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Highland, IL, with 10,027 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, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.