Cities in Illinois by population

Chicago, IL had the highest population of 225 cities in 2024, at 2.73 million. Highland, IL had the lowest, at 10,046. The median was 21,240 and the figure for Illinois was 12.7 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,726,332Chicago, IL
Lowest10,046Highland, IL
Median21,240225 cities
Illinois12,703,033History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Chicago, IL: 2,726,332 personsChicago, IL2,726,332Aurora, IL: 180,910 personsAurora, IL180,910Naperville, IL: 152,548 personsNaperville, IL152,548Joliet, IL: 151,904 personsJoliet, IL151,904Rockford, IL: 147,098 personsRockford, IL147,098Elgin, IL: 114,988 personsElgin, IL114,988Springfield, IL: 112,996 personsSpringfield, IL112,996Peoria, IL: 110,940 personsPeoria, IL110,940Champaign, IL: 90,617 personsChampaign, IL90,617Waukegan, IL: 88,190 personsWaukegan, IL88,190Cicero, IL: 82,124 personsCicero, IL82,124Bloomington, IL: 78,906 personsBloomington, IL78,906Schaumburg, IL: 77,120 personsSchaumburg, IL77,120Evanston, IL: 76,430 personsEvanston, IL76,430Arlington Heights, IL: 75,640 personsArlington Heights, IL75,640Bolingbrook, IL: 74,770 personsBolingbrook, IL74,770Decatur, IL: 68,408 personsDecatur, IL68,408Palatine, IL: 65,942 personsPalatine, IL65,942Skokie, IL: 65,914 personsSkokie, IL65,914Des Plaines, IL: 58,868 personsDes Plaines, IL58,868Orland Park, IL: 57,987 personsOrland Park, IL57,987Oak Lawn, IL: 56,552 personsOak Lawn, IL56,552Mount Prospect, IL: 55,490 personsMount Prospect, IL55,490Berwyn, IL: 55,158 personsBerwyn, IL55,158Tinley Park, IL: 54,860 personsTinley Park, IL54,860Wheaton, IL: 53,361 personsWheaton, IL53,361Normal, IL: 53,225 personsNormal, IL53,225Oak Park, IL: 52,979 personsOak Park, IL52,979Hoffman Estates, IL: 50,930 personsHoffman Estates, IL50,930Downers Grove, IL: 50,325 personsDowners Grove, IL50,325Plainfield, IL: 48,825 personsPlainfield, IL48,825Glenview, IL: 47,571 personsGlenview, IL47,571Elmhurst, IL: 45,833 personsElmhurst, IL45,833Lombard, IL: 44,323 personsLombard, IL44,323Buffalo Grove, IL: 42,907 personsBuffalo Grove, IL42,907Moline, IL: 42,232 personsMoline, IL42,232Crystal Lake, IL: 41,499 personsCrystal Lake, IL41,499Romeoville, IL: 41,450 personsRomeoville, IL41,450Bartlett, IL: 40,606 personsBartlett, IL40,606Belleville, IL: 40,542 personsBelleville, IL40,542Chicago, IL: 2,726,332 personsChicago, IL2,726,332Aurora, IL: 180,910 personsAurora, IL180,910Naperville, IL: 152,548 personsNaperville, IL152,548Joliet, IL: 151,904 personsJoliet, IL151,904Rockford, IL: 147,098 personsRockford, IL147,098Elgin, IL: 114,988 personsElgin, IL114,988Springfield, IL: 112,996 personsSpringfield, IL112,996Peoria, IL: 110,940 personsPeoria, IL110,940Champaign, IL: 90,617 personsChampaign, IL90,617Waukegan, IL: 88,190 personsWaukegan, IL88,190Cicero, IL: 82,124 personsCicero, IL82,124Bloomington, IL: 78,906 personsBloomington, IL78,906Schaumburg, IL: 77,120 personsSchaumburg, IL77,120Evanston, IL: 76,430 personsEvanston, IL76,430Arlington Heights, IL: 75,640 personsArlington Heights, IL75,640Bolingbrook, IL: 74,770 personsBolingbrook, IL74,770Decatur, IL: 68,408 personsDecatur, IL68,408Palatine, IL: 65,942 personsPalatine, IL65,942Skokie, IL: 65,914 personsSkokie, IL65,914Des Plaines, IL: 58,868 personsDes Plaines, IL58,868Orland Park, IL: 57,987 personsOrland Park, IL57,987Oak Lawn, IL: 56,552 personsOak Lawn, IL56,552Mount Prospect, IL: 55,490 personsMount Prospect, IL55,490Berwyn, IL: 55,158 personsBerwyn, IL55,158Tinley Park, IL: 54,860 personsTinley Park, IL54,860Wheaton, IL: 53,361 personsWheaton, IL53,361Normal, IL: 53,225 personsNormal, IL53,225Oak Park, IL: 52,979 personsOak Park, IL52,979Hoffman Estates, IL: 50,930 personsHoffman Estates, IL50,930Downers Grove, IL: 50,325 personsDowners Grove, IL50,325Plainfield, IL: 48,825 personsPlainfield, IL48,825Glenview, IL: 47,571 personsGlenview, IL47,571Elmhurst, IL: 45,833 personsElmhurst, IL45,833Lombard, IL: 44,323 personsLombard, IL44,323Buffalo Grove, IL: 42,907 personsBuffalo Grove, IL42,907Moline, IL: 42,232 personsMoline, IL42,232Crystal Lake, IL: 41,499 personsCrystal Lake, IL41,499Romeoville, IL: 41,450 personsRomeoville, IL41,450Bartlett, IL: 40,606 personsBartlett, IL40,606Belleville, IL: 40,542 personsBelleville, IL40,542
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

RankCities2024
persons
Change on 2023
1Chicago, IL2,726,332+1%
2Aurora, IL180,910+0.7%
3Naperville, IL152,548+1.2%
4Joliet, IL151,904+0.5%
5Rockford, IL147,098+0.4%
6Elgin, IL114,988+0.9%
7Springfield, IL112,9960%
8Peoria, IL110,940+0.2%
9Champaign, IL90,617+0.4%
10Waukegan, IL88,190-0%
11Cicero, IL82,124+0.5%
12Bloomington, IL78,906+0.3%
13Schaumburg, IL77,120+1%
14Evanston, IL76,430+0.6%
15Arlington Heights, IL75,640+0.7%
16Bolingbrook, IL74,770+0.5%
17Decatur, IL68,408-0.5%
18Palatine, IL65,942+0.9%
19Skokie, IL65,914+0.6%
20Des Plaines, IL58,868+0.6%
21Orland Park, IL57,987+0.9%
22Oak Lawn, IL56,552+0.7%
23Mount Prospect, IL55,490+1.3%
24Berwyn, IL55,158+0.5%
25Tinley Park, IL54,860+1%
26Wheaton, IL53,361+0.3%
27Normal, IL53,225+0.6%
28Oak Park, IL52,979+0.5%
29Hoffman Estates, IL50,930+0.7%
30Downers Grove, IL50,325+0.6%
31Plainfield, IL48,825+2.6%
32Glenview, IL47,571+0.8%
33Elmhurst, IL45,833+0.4%
34Lombard, IL44,323+0.6%
35Buffalo Grove, IL42,907+0.4%
36Moline, IL42,232+0.5%
37Crystal Lake, IL41,499+1.3%
38Romeoville, IL41,450+0.3%
39Bartlett, IL40,606+0.9%
40Belleville, IL40,542-0.7%
41DeKalb, IL40,071+0.2%
42Urbana, IL39,684+0.1%
43Carol Stream, IL39,367+0.5%
44Quincy, IL38,853-0.4%
45Oswego, IL38,738+4.5%
46Park Ridge, IL38,500+0.7%
47Streamwood, IL38,338+0.7%
48Wheeling, IL38,331+0.7%
49Carpentersville, IL37,269-0%
50Hanover Park, IL36,627+0.6%
51Rock Island, IL36,243+0.5%
52Addison, IL35,570+0.6%
53Calumet City, IL34,867+0.6%
54Northbrook, IL34,573+0.8%
55North Chicago, IL34,086+8.6%
56Woodridge, IL33,945+0.6%
57St. Charles, IL33,580+2.2%
58Glendale Heights, IL32,713+0.4%
59Mundelein, IL32,486+1.6%
60O'Fallon, IL32,1860%
61Elk Grove Village, IL31,941+0.6%
62Pekin, IL31,325-0.1%
63Highland Park, IL30,648+0.6%
64Algonquin, IL30,528+1.1%
65Gurnee, IL30,400+0.1%
66Niles, IL29,970+0.6%
67McHenry, IL28,836+1.8%
68Glen Ellyn, IL28,762+0.6%
69Galesburg, IL28,696-0.5%
70Lake in the Hills, IL28,687-0.1%
71Burbank, IL28,613+0.7%
72New Lenox, IL28,495+1.2%
73Huntley, IL28,477+0.6%
74Danville, IL28,182-0.2%
75Lansing, IL28,122+0.6%
76Wilmette, IL27,464+0.7%
77Round Lake Beach, IL26,958+0.1%
78Granite City, IL26,920-0.3%
79Lockport, IL26,903+1%
80Vernon Hills, IL26,867+0.1%
81Oak Forest, IL26,834+1.5%
82Batavia, IL26,626+0.3%
83Chicago Heights, IL26,566+0.6%
84Edwardsville, IL26,503-0.4%
85Yorkville, IL25,968+4.9%
86Woodstock, IL25,872+0.3%
87Belvidere, IL25,428+0.2%
88West Chicago, IL25,339+0.4%
89Alton, IL25,049-0.3%
90South Elgin, IL24,973+2.5%
91Homer Glen, IL24,860+0.9%
92Morton Grove, IL24,489+0.6%
93Zion, IL24,443-0%
94Westmont, IL24,191+0.4%
95Melrose Park, IL23,967+0.6%
96Collinsville, IL23,810-0.3%
97Elmwood Park, IL23,732+0.6%
98Rolling Meadows, IL23,729+0.6%
99Loves Park, IL23,616+0.8%
100Kankakee, IL23,465-0.3%
101Lisle, IL23,451+0.4%
102Maywood, IL23,361+1.3%
103Freeport, IL23,311-0.3%
104Roselle, IL22,788+0.6%
105Machesney Park, IL22,787+0.4%
106Bloomingdale, IL22,506+0.5%
107East Peoria, IL22,055-0.1%
108Montgomery, IL21,9880%
109Carbondale, IL21,970+0.4%
110Villa Park, IL21,926+0.4%
111Darien, IL21,917+0.4%
112Blue Island, IL21,844+0.6%
113Geneva, IL21,240+0.1%
114Grayslake, IL21,169+0.4%
115Frankfort, IL21,158+0.8%
116Park Forest, IL21,032+0.5%
117South Holland, IL20,790+0.6%
118Dolton, IL20,712+0.6%
119Libertyville, IL20,545+0.4%
120East Moline, IL20,407+0.3%
121Crest Hill, IL20,224+0.1%
122Mokena, IL19,917+0.4%
123Lake Zurich, IL19,865+0.2%
124Harvey, IL19,795+1.2%
125Lake Forest, IL19,752+0.8%
126North Aurora, IL19,404+1.4%
127Evergreen Park, IL19,325+0.8%
128Deerfield, IL19,064+0.4%
129Brookfield, IL18,903+0.5%
130Sycamore, IL18,859+0.5%
131Homewood, IL18,816+0.6%
132Ottawa, IL18,719+0.1%
133Matteson, IL18,566+0.7%
134Bensenville, IL18,550+0.4%
134Round Lake, IL18,550+0.1%
136Shorewood, IL18,531+0.5%
137Alsip, IL18,504+0.8%
138Lemont, IL18,207+2.7%
139Bellwood, IL18,156+0.6%
140Franklin Park, IL18,086+0.6%
141Palos Hills, IL18,032+0.7%
142Cary, IL18,005+0.1%
143East St. Louis, IL17,941+0.2%
144Jacksonville, IL17,813-0.4%
145Bourbonnais, IL17,702+0.3%
146Godfrey, IL17,635-0.1%
147Morton, IL17,5550%
148Hinsdale, IL17,533+0.8%
149Charleston, IL17,474-0.3%
150Cahokia Heights, IL17,039-0.8%
151Marion, IL17,022+1%
152Mattoon, IL16,624-0.1%
153Bridgeview, IL16,538+0.7%
154Westchester, IL16,335+0.6%
155Country Club Hills, IL16,242+0.6%
156Fairview Heights, IL16,148-0.3%
157La Grange, IL15,952+0.8%
158Washington, IL15,8690%
159Prospect Heights, IL15,573+0.7%
160Bradley, IL15,268-0.2%
161Warrenville, IL15,209-1.2%
162Antioch, IL15,030+0.8%
163Norridge, IL14,838+0.6%
164Shiloh, IL14,657-0.6%
165Macomb, IL14,634-3.4%
166Chatham, IL14,592+0.3%
167Morris, IL14,548+0.2%
168Lindenhurst, IL14,490+0.5%
169Sterling, IL14,487-0.2%
170Dixon, IL14,483+0.3%
171Swansea, IL14,440-0.5%
172Channahon, IL14,368+1.5%
173Mount Vernon, IL14,182-0.6%
174Beach Park, IL14,131+0.1%
175Hickory Hills, IL14,116+0.8%
176Wood Dale, IL14,094+0.5%
177Chicago Ridge, IL14,061+0.7%
178Wauconda, IL13,985+0.1%
179Glen Carbon, IL13,899+0.1%
180Midlothian, IL13,866+0.7%
181Forest Park, IL13,843+0.6%
182Western Springs, IL13,536+1%
183La Grange Park, IL13,475+0.7%
184Canton, IL13,193+0.3%
185Lincoln, IL13,078+0.1%
186Lincolnwood, IL13,065+0.7%
187Hazel Crest, IL13,045+0.6%
188Minooka, IL12,872+0.1%
189Plano, IL12,6630%
190Richton Park, IL12,503+0.6%
191Winnetka, IL12,502+0.9%
192Northlake, IL12,486+0.7%
193Effingham, IL12,414+0.7%
194Justice, IL12,276+0.7%
195Herrin, IL12,250+0.5%
196Streator, IL12,234-0.2%
197Kewanee, IL12,150-0.4%
198Palos Heights, IL12,092+0.6%
199Rantoul, IL12,013-0.2%
200Pingree Grove, IL12,007+3.7%
201Centralia, IL11,888-0.1%
202Troy, IL11,807+0.9%
203River Forest, IL11,421+1.7%
204Schiller Park, IL11,340+0.7%
205Markham, IL11,296+0.6%
206Waterloo, IL11,196-0.1%
207Burr Ridge, IL11,163+0.8%
208Roscoe, IL10,990+0.6%
209Columbia, IL10,960-0.4%
210Campton Hills, IL10,917+0.7%
211Pontiac, IL10,898-0.4%
212Fox Lake, IL10,878+0.2%
213Summit, IL10,778+0.6%
214Manhattan, IL10,763+1.8%
215Worth, IL10,670+0.7%
216Barrington, IL10,597+0.3%
217Crestwood, IL10,541+0.6%
218Taylorville, IL10,460-0.1%
219Lyons, IL10,449+0.6%
220River Grove, IL10,433+0.6%
221Mahomet, IL10,392+0.8%
222Riverdale, IL10,302+0.6%
223Wood River, IL10,271-0.2%
224Winfield, IL10,158+0.5%
225Highland, IL10,046+0.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón).
  • Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January.
  • Iceland and its municipalities: Statistics Iceland, 1 January.
  • United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July.
  • United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June.
  • Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
  • UN World Population Prospects estimates for 1 July cover the years before 1960 and the areas the World Bank does not publish, such as Taiwan.

The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

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. 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, 2024) [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, 2024. 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=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

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, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_illinois_by_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/illinois-cities?period=2024.
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 2.73 million in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Highland, IL, with 10,046 in 2024.

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.

Population: other rankings

Cities in Illinois: more rankings