These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Illinois

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something biggerâsomething wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Illinois. And here they are:

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. Thereâs a method to this madness.

For more IL reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Illinois

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success isâmoney. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think thereâs a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Winnetka

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 12,366Median Income: $207,540
Poverty Level: 1.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%

2. Oak Brook

Population: 7,967Median Income: $148,173
Poverty Level: 2.5%
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

3. Western Springs

Population: 13,066Median Income: $140,361
Poverty Level: 0.9%
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

4. Gilberts

Population: 7,256Median Income: $108,352
Poverty Level: 0.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%

5. Wilmette

Population: 27,345Median Income: $126,471
Poverty Level: 2.7%
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%

6. Glencoe

Population: 8,824Median Income: $171,250
Poverty Level: 3.9%
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%

7. Northbrook

Population: 33,396Median Income: $115,085
Poverty Level: 3.4%
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%

8. Northfield

Population: 5,332Median Income: $102,424
Poverty Level: 3.5%
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

9. Deerfield

Population: 18,476Median Income: $135,754
Poverty Level: 2.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%

10. Sugar Grove

Population: 9,096Median Income: $103,609
Poverty Level: 2.0%
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%

Measuring Success

If youâre still looking at this post thinking, âSurely, such superficial methods canât possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that cityâs success!â well, youâre probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Winnetka and our winners. And for those who didnât make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Illinois

Rank	City	Median Income	Poverty Rate	Unemployment Rate
1	Winnetka	$207,540	1.8%	4.8%
2	Oak Brook	$148,173	2.5%	4.2%
3	Western Springs	$140,361	0.9%	5.3%
4	Gilberts	$108,352	0.0%	4.6%
5	Wilmette	$126,471	2.7%	4.3%
6	Glencoe	$171,250	3.9%	3.5%
7	Northbrook	$115,085	3.4%	5.4%
8	Northfield	$102,424	3.5%	3.7%
9	Deerfield	$135,754	2.6%	5.8%
10	Sugar Grove	$103,609	2.0%	5.6%
11	Libertyville	$112,572	3.6%	5.2%
12	Plainfield	$111,536	3.1%	5.7%
13	Mahomet	$91,292	3.6%	3.6%
14	Hampshire	$81,837	2.8%	2.4%
15	Oswego	$97,323	3.4%	5.4%
16	New Lenox	$96,327	2.3%	5.8%
17	Long Grove	$190,966	1.6%	7.2%
18	Glenview	$92,304	3.6%	5.5%
19	Lake Bluff	$133,179	4.6%	5.7%
20	Inverness	$156,938	0.2%	7.4%
21	St. Charles	$83,997	3.9%	4.1%
22	Hinsdale	$163,558	4.8%	6.1%
23	River Forest	$108,563	5.7%	4.1%
24	Park Ridge	$87,626	3.7%	5.5%
25	Grayslake	$87,967	4.1%	5.0%
26	Vernon Hills	$89,667	2.6%	6.3%
27	South Elgin	$86,600	3.7%	5.6%
28	Lake Forest	$151,000	4.9%	6.2%
29	Mokena	$100,887	1.8%	7.1%
30	Huntley	$75,792	0.7%	5.6%
31	Naperville	$109,512	4.1%	6.6%
32	Lincolnwood	$95,680	4.3%	5.8%
33	Homer Glen	$92,547	2.6%	6.9%
34	Lake Zurich	$108,294	3.6%	6.9%
35	Campton Hills	$117,556	5.4%	5.8%
36	Channahon	$90,859	3.5%	6.5%
37	Hawthorn Woods	$154,505	3.5%	7.6%
38	Buffalo Grove	$96,768	4.3%	6.6%
39	Shiloh	$81,731	4.0%	5.7%
40	Yorkville	$86,387	4.1%	6.1%
41	Highland Park	$115,382	6.0%	6.3%
42	Clarendon Hills	$106,604	8.3%	3.4%
43	Waterloo	$70,976	3.8%	4.2%
44	Burr Ridge	$113,576	7.7%	5.2%
45	Bartlett	$94,919	4.1%	7.0%
46	Flossmoor	$100,373	2.9%	7.8%
47	Elmhurst	$95,240	3.7%	7.3%
48	Frankfort	$110,829	5.3%	7.0%
49	Hoffman Estates	$83,518	4.3%	6.6%
50	Lincolnshire	$111,250	6.0%	6.8%
51	Manhattan	$80,490	3.3%	7.2%
52	Morton	$70,878	5.2%	3.9%
53	Itasca	$77,269	4.2%	6.5%
54	Arlington Heights	$78,865	4.4%	6.6%
55	Chatham	$78,455	5.2%	6.1%
56	Washington	$72,247	5.7%	4.2%
57	Downers Grove	$85,020	4.8%	6.9%
58	Round Lake	$79,109	6.0%	5.7%
59	West Dundee	$80,914	6.5%	5.6%
60	Riverside	$97,900	4.4%	7.8%
61	Geneva	$93,588	4.5%	7.6%
62	Lemont	$87,410	2.8%	8.1%
63	Monee	$73,473	5.1%	6.1%
64	La Grange	$98,971	7.5%	6.7%
65	Roselle	$77,071	3.6%	7.5%
66	Lake Villa	$82,351	3.4%	8.2%
67	Gurnee	$85,141	4.3%	7.9%
68	Orland Park	$79,334	4.8%	7.4%
69	Crystal Lake	$80,136	5.4%	7.1%
70	Mount Prospect	$69,155	4.5%	6.6%
71	Bloomingdale	$71,032	4.6%	6.9%
72	Tinley Park	$75,991	5.8%	6.7%
73	Barrington	$110,469	6.8%	7.8%
74	Monticello	$62,151	5.3%	5.5%
75	Wheaton	$84,833	6.8%	6.9%
76	Lindenhurst	$88,633	3.3%	9.1%
77	Elk Grove Village	$68,188	5.5%	6.2%
78	Algonquin	$100,534	3.3%	10.0%
79	Cary	$104,343	6.6%	8.0%
80	Schaumburg	$72,745	6.2%	6.6%
81	Minooka	$84,453	5.2%	8.1%
82	Montgomery	$76,207	4.9%	7.6%
83	Spring Grove	$103,423	5.4%	8.7%
84	Johnsburg	$86,797	5.4%	8.2%
85	Lake in the Hills	$83,149	3.8%	8.8%
86	Batavia	$92,015	6.0%	8.3%
87	Mount Zion	$69,784	6.0%	6.8%
88	Winfield	$96,464	4.5%	9.2%
89	Geneseo	$55,400	6.3%	3.5%
90	Auburn	$61,400	6.2%	6.2%
91	Wauconda	$72,987	6.5%	7.3%
92	Woodridge	$77,164	4.9%	8.3%
93	North Aurora	$81,350	6.9%	7.8%
94	Roscoe	$68,253	6.6%	6.8%
95	Columbia	$65,286	5.6%	7.1%
96	Poplar Grove	$57,167	6.7%	5.4%
97	Palos Heights	$77,575	3.2%	9.9%
98	Maryville	$80,504	6.4%	8.1%
99	Brookfield	$76,735	9.0%	6.7%
100	Lockport	$79,845	4.1%	9.2%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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