These Are The 10 Smartest Cities In Illinois

One of the many qualities that people look for in a potential location or company is the intelligence of those around them. This factor can play a huge role in oneâs experience at a particular company and can make or break an employeeâs time there.

So finding a city with an intelligent population makes sense for both companies and employees. Thatâs where Zippia comes in; to help you identify those places in Illinois that might have skipped a gradeâ¦or two.

You may be wondering how does one determine the intelligence of a town?

Well, we went to the source of all things demographic data â the Census â to figure out what criteria about a place would identify it as a smart cookie.

We looked at the percentage of adults (over 25) with at least a high school degree and the percentage of high school drop outs (aged 16-20) for the 340 largest cities in Illinois with data. We then crunched the numbers and were left with this set of the brightest cities in the Prairie State:

Lake Bluff
Western Springs
Winnetka
Glencoe
Campton Hills
Wilmette
Chatham
Inverness
Lake Forest
Flossmoor

Read on to see why these places got into a four-year college or skip to the end to see a full chart of all the places in our analysis.

For more IL reading, check out:

How we determined the smartest places in the Prairie State

Before we could dive into the potential IQs of various places in Illinois, we needed to know which places to look at in the first place. We settled upon any place with over 5,000 people and data available for every criteria.

This left us with 340 places in Illinois.

We then looked at the following criteria to determine the cream of the crop when it comes to smarts:

Our data comes directly from the latest American Community Survey from the Census.

We thought this criteria was representative of the current state of smarts with the potential for a place to improve the education levels of the next generation. And itâs not like we are setting the education bar incredibly high â 80% of students graduate from high school nowadays.

In order to determine the smartest, we ranked all the cities for each criteria from one to 340 with one being the âsmartestâ in any category.

We took the average rank across all criteria, with the place posting the highest overall score being given the diploma for âSmartest City In Illinoisâ.

If your city or town isnât among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart. Otherwise, learn more about how the top ten cities achieved their potential.

1. Lake Bluff

Population: 5,867
Adults Without High School Diploma: 0.2%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.5%

2. Western Springs

Population: 13,066
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.1%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.3%

3. Winnetka

Population: 12,366
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.2%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.8%

4. Glencoe

Population: 8,824
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.3%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.25%

5. Campton Hills

Population: 10,908
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.4%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.4%

6. Wilmette

Population: 27,345
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.2%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.5%

7. Chatham

Population: 12,131
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.6%

8. Inverness

Population: 7,516
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.3%

9. Lake Forest

Population: 18,914
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.2%

10. Flossmoor

Population: 9,339
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.1%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 0.4%

And thatâs how you graduate in style

Detailed List Of Smartest Cities In Illinois

CityRankPopulationAdults Without High School DiplomaTeenage High School Drop Outs

Lake Bluff	1	5,867	0.2%	0.0%
Western Springs	2	13,066	1.1%	0.0%
Winnetka	3	12,366	1.2%	0.0%
Glencoe	4	8,824	1.3%	0.0%
Campton Hills	5	10,908	1.4%	0.0%
Wilmette	6	27,345	1.2%	0.5%
Chatham	7	12,131	2.0%	0.0%
Inverness	8	7,516	2.0%	0.0%
Lake Forest	9	18,914	2.0%	0.0%
Flossmoor	10	9,339	2.1%	0.0%
Lincolnshire	11	7,270	2.7%	0.0%
Manhattan	12	7,017	2.7%	0.0%
Elburn	13	5,733	2.8%	0.0%
Clarendon Hills	14	8,548	3.1%	0.0%
Savoy	15	7,835	3.1%	0.0%
Frankfort	16	18,100	3.3%	0.0%
Maryville	17	7,727	3.4%	0.0%
Mokena	18	18,804	3.5%	0.0%
Northfield	19	5,332	2.2%	0.7%
Gilberts	20	7,256	3.6%	0.0%
Willowbrook	21	8,607	3.6%	0.0%
Oswego	22	31,723	3.6%	0.0%
Sugar Grove	23	9,096	3.9%	0.0%
New Lenox	24	24,747	3.5%	0.6%
Hinsdale	25	16,898	1.6%	1.3%
Oak Brook	26	7,967	3.9%	0.0%
Barrington	27	10,830	4.0%	0.0%
Monee	28	5,133	4.1%	0.0%
Plainfield	29	40,641	4.1%	0.3%
West Dundee	30	7,367	4.2%	0.0%
Oak Park	31	51,988	3.6%	0.7%
Deerfield	32	18,476	2.1%	1.5%
Willow Springs	33	5,692	4.4%	0.0%
Homewood	34	19,642	4.4%	0.0%
Libertyville	35	20,398	3.3%	1.2%
La Grange Park	36	13,624	3.8%	0.7%
Edwardsville	37	24,464	3.3%	1.1%
Huntley	38	25,200	4.5%	0.0%
Lindenhurst	39	14,412	4.5%	0.0%
Buffalo Grove	40	41,613	3.1%	1.4%
Batavia	41	25,905	4.5%	0.0%
Long Grove	42	8,017	2.1%	1.7%
Antioch	43	14,395	4.5%	0.0%
Spring Grove	44	5,390	4.6%	0.0%
Lake Zurich	45	19,849	4.6%	0.0%
Washington	46	15,525	4.6%	0.0%
Normal	47	54,082	4.2%	0.6%
Hawthorn Woods	48	7,727	4.7%	0.0%
Downers Grove	49	49,372	4.1%	0.8%
Riverside	50	8,915	4.9%	0.0%
Burr Ridge	51	10,678	5.0%	0.0%
Auburn	52	5,004	5.0%	0.0%
Olympia Fields	53	5,022	5.1%	0.0%
Winfield	54	9,368	3.5%	1.7%
Roselle	55	22,951	5.2%	0.3%
Glen Ellyn	56	27,394	5.4%	0.0%
River Forest	57	11,211	3.4%	2.0%
Channahon	58	12,422	3.6%	1.6%
Morton	59	16,493	5.5%	0.0%
Naperville	60	144,108	3.3%	2.1%
Lisle	61	22,626	4.4%	1.2%
Glenview	62	45,400	4.7%	0.9%
Vernon Hills	63	25,535	5.0%	0.8%
Minooka	64	11,225	5.8%	0.0%
Mount Zion	65	5,830	5.8%	0.0%
Matteson	66	19,097	5.8%	0.0%
Cary	67	18,115	5.9%	0.0%
Glen Carbon	68	13,095	5.9%	0.0%
Arlington Heights	69	75,577	4.0%	2.0%
Geneva	70	21,662	3.0%	2.7%
Lombard	71	43,853	5.7%	0.6%
Homer Glen	72	24,322	5.7%	0.6%
Eureka	73	5,638	6.0%	0.0%
Elmhurst	74	45,105	5.1%	1.0%
Peoria Heights	75	6,056	6.0%	0.0%
Northbrook	76	33,396	3.1%	2.8%
Wheaton	77	53,406	4.2%	2.0%
Geneseo	78	6,500	6.2%	0.0%
Darien	79	22,251	4.5%	1.7%
Sycamore	80	17,473	5.0%	1.4%
Orland Hills	81	7,252	6.5%	0.0%
Mascoutah	82	7,675	6.5%	0.0%
Shorewood	83	16,186	6.7%	0.0%
Evanston	84	75,282	6.2%	0.6%
Algonquin	85	30,189	4.3%	2.2%
Shiloh	86	12,706	4.7%	1.9%
Brookfield	87	19,022	6.0%	0.7%
Troy	88	9,931	5.3%	1.5%
Lake Villa	89	8,860	4.4%	2.2%
Columbia	90	9,889	6.8%	0.0%
Champaign	91	82,848	5.7%	1.5%
Carterville	92	5,635	7.3%	0.0%
La Grange	93	15,675	5.4%	1.9%
Macomb	94	19,193	6.6%	0.8%
Lockport	95	25,063	5.4%	2.0%
Park Ridge	96	37,511	4.3%	2.9%
Highland	97	9,738	8.0%	0.0%
Palos Heights	98	12,572	8.1%	0.0%
Woodridge	99	33,227	5.3%	2.2%
University Park	100	6,852	8.1%	0.0%
Lemont	101	16,376	6.4%	1.3%
DeKalb	102	44,092	8.2%	0.0%
Highland Park	103	29,819	3.8%	3.8%
Richton Park	104	13,718	6.8%	1.0%
Monticello	105	5,400	5.0%	2.6%
Johnsburg	106	6,322	4.5%	3.1%
Gurnee	107	31,182	5.7%	2.2%
Pingree Grove	108	5,062	8.7%	0.0%
Elk Grove Village	109	33,288	6.3%	1.8%
Bourbonnais	110	18,641	6.7%	1.5%
Winthrop Harbor	111	6,744	8.9%	0.0%
South Elgin	112	22,126	5.9%	2.3%
Manteno	113	9,585	8.0%	0.9%
Carbondale	114	26,374	8.2%	0.7%
Bethalto	115	9,443	9.0%	0.0%
Rockton	116	7,461	5.4%	2.9%
Broadview	117	7,956	9.1%	0.0%
Swansea	118	13,870	6.1%	2.1%
Orland Park	119	57,802	5.5%	2.7%
Island Lake	120	8,033	9.1%	0.0%
North Aurora	121	16,927	7.0%	1.5%
Milan	122	5,122	9.1%	0.0%
Mount Carmel	123	7,155	9.4%	0.0%
Morton Grove	124	23,424	9.3%	0.3%
Urbana	125	41,760	6.7%	2.0%
Carol Stream	126	40,136	9.5%	0.0%
OâFallon	127	29,100	3.8%	5.4%
Westmont	128	25,236	6.8%	2.1%
Tinley Park	129	57,099	5.9%	3.0%
Roscoe	130	10,724	6.5%	2.3%
Park Forest	131	22,490	8.6%	1.3%
Lynwood	132	9,260	6.8%	2.4%
Princeton	133	7,698	6.4%	2.8%
Fox Lake	134	10,757	10.5%	0.0%
Bloomingdale	135	22,208	8.3%	1.8%
Bloomington	136	77,883	5.5%	4.0%
Crystal Lake	137	40,598	7.7%	2.2%
Schaumburg	138	74,560	5.9%	3.4%
Wilmington	139	5,934	10.7%	0.0%
Braidwood	140	6,191	10.7%	0.0%
Lakemoor	141	6,576	10.8%	0.0%
Yorkville	142	17,980	4.8%	5.2%
Hoffman Estates	143	52,271	8.4%	2.0%
Calumet Park	144	8,189	10.8%	0.0%
Lincolnwood	145	12,653	9.4%	1.2%
Jerseyville	146	8,305	10.6%	0.5%
Genoa	147	5,716	11.0%	0.0%
Silvis	148	7,525	11.2%	0.0%
Olney	149	8,997	11.3%	0.0%
Spring Valley	150	5,441	7.9%	2.6%
Mundelein	151	31,498	11.4%	0.0%
Crete	152	8,284	3.1%	9.4%
Mahomet	153	7,592	2.8%	10.5%
Wauconda	154	13,189	11.6%	0.0%
Bradley	155	15,822	8.7%	2.2%
St. Charles	156	33,422	7.3%	3.2%
Lake in the Hills	157	28,926	6.4%	4.0%
Flora	158	5,045	11.6%	0.0%
Waterloo	159	10,102	5.3%	5.8%
Wood Dale	160	13,882	11.8%	0.0%
Midlothian	161	14,901	10.5%	1.2%
Machesney Park	162	23,180	11.9%	0.0%
Country Club Hills	163	16,752	8.4%	2.7%
Villa Park	164	22,073	10.1%	1.7%
Montgomery	165	18,780	11.1%	0.9%
Marengo	166	7,451	12.3%	0.0%
Itasca	167	8,579	8.9%	2.5%
Westchester	168	16,786	9.1%	2.4%
Palos Hills	169	17,584	10.0%	2.0%
Bolingbrook	170	74,112	11.4%	1.1%
Romeoville	171	39,675	12.8%	0.4%
Norridge	172	14,713	12.8%	0.6%
McHenry	173	26,803	8.5%	3.4%
Hampshire	174	6,053	13.4%	0.0%
Glenwood	175	9,040	10.4%	2.0%
Taylorville	176	11,761	13.2%	0.4%
Palatine	177	69,015	8.7%	3.4%
Wheeling	178	37,886	13.9%	0.0%
Chicago Ridge	179	14,410	12.1%	0.8%
Herrin	180	12,721	9.4%	2.8%
Godfrey	181	17,911	5.5%	7.2%
Oak Forest	182	28,104	8.8%	3.4%
Charleston	183	22,065	12.1%	1.0%
Bartonville	184	6,440	10.3%	2.2%
Evergreen Park	185	19,924	8.0%	4.2%
Lansing	186	28,486	10.4%	2.3%
Rantoul	187	13,214	14.8%	0.0%
Coal City	188	5,460	7.0%	5.6%
Justice	189	13,001	15.3%	0.0%
Fairview Heights	190	17,250	7.8%	5.3%
Alsip	191	19,385	14.4%	0.6%
Monmouth	192	9,565	15.5%	0.0%
Peru	193	10,172	8.8%	4.1%
Round Lake	194	18,399	14.6%	0.7%
Grayslake	195	20,863	6.7%	6.6%
Marion	196	17,353	9.5%	3.5%
Loves Park	197	24,435	9.8%	3.2%
Niles	198	29,939	15.9%	0.0%
Quincy	199	40,782	10.1%	3.4%
Colona	200	5,057	16.4%	0.0%
Greenville	201	6,860	16.5%	0.0%
Springfield	202	116,815	8.7%	5.1%
Litchfield	203	6,913	16.7%	0.0%
North Riverside	204	6,940	10.5%	3.2%
Bartlett	205	41,529	7.2%	6.7%
Skokie	206	65,056	10.9%	3.0%
Belleville	207	43,296	9.1%	4.6%
Mendota	208	7,161	17.5%	0.0%
Clinton	209	6,931	11.1%	3.1%
Lyons	210	10,667	18.0%	0.0%
South Holland	211	22,123	8.9%	5.4%
Robbins	212	5,221	18.1%	0.0%
Rochelle	213	9,492	18.2%	0.0%
Forest Park	214	14,202	7.2%	7.5%
Highwood	215	5,400	18.8%	0.0%
Freeport	216	25,225	11.4%	3.2%
Mount Prospect	217	54,589	11.7%	2.7%
Ottawa	218	18,992	9.8%	4.8%
Poplar Grove	219	5,498	6.1%	11.7%
Lincoln	220	14,382	10.0%	4.8%
Bridgeview	221	16,550	20.0%	0.0%
Hillside	222	8,192	20.0%	0.0%
Dolton	223	23,262	13.1%	2.3%
Franklin Park	224	18,389	20.6%	0.0%
Oak Lawn	225	56,969	10.9%	4.0%
Collinsville	226	25,282	7.6%	8.7%
Metropolis	227	6,466	20.9%	0.0%
Crestwood	228	11,006	9.0%	6.5%
Hickory Hills	229	14,117	12.9%	2.7%
Hazel Crest	230	14,102	11.0%	4.1%
Woodstock	231	25,121	11.6%	3.5%
Stickney	232	6,810	21.9%	0.0%
Countryside	233	5,974	9.8%	5.7%
Centreville	234	5,208	23.0%	0.0%
River Grove	235	10,268	11.6%	4.1%
Calumet City	236	37,197	14.4%	2.5%
Morris	237	13,929	10.9%	5.0%
Glendale Heights	238	34,436	18.4%	1.3%
Pekin	239	33,928	9.5%	6.7%
Wood River	240	10,477	10.1%	5.9%
Beach Park	241	13,851	8.1%	10.0%
Moline	242	43,087	12.0%	4.2%
Mount Vernon	243	15,069	14.5%	2.9%
Effingham	244	12,428	8.3%	10.9%
Streamwood	245	40,746	13.5%	3.5%
Des Plaines	246	58,802	12.1%	4.3%
Warrenville	247	13,361	7.3%	20.2%
Rolling Meadows	248	23,646	13.7%	3.6%
Chillicothe	249	6,181	10.4%	6.8%
Creve Coeur	250	5,717	13.4%	3.8%
East Peoria	251	23,225	8.6%	11.3%
North Chicago	252	30,760	21.0%	1.6%
Mattoon	253	17,906	11.5%	5.6%
Pana	254	5,601	12.3%	5.0%
Rock Island	255	38,888	14.1%	3.9%
Jacksonville	256	19,315	13.2%	4.3%
Round Lake Park	257	7,758	24.0%	1.4%
Riverdale	258	13,278	11.6%	5.9%
Posen	259	5,934	26.2%	1.3%
Alton	260	27,517	10.9%	6.9%
South Beloit	261	8,129	12.3%	5.4%
Berkeley	262	5,219	11.2%	6.8%
Peoria	263	115,718	11.5%	6.8%
Sterling	264	15,208	15.6%	4.0%
Harwood Heights	265	8,656	17.0%	3.7%
Joliet	266	147,786	16.3%	4.0%
Addison	267	37,215	21.9%	2.5%
Du Quoin	268	6,012	15.0%	5.2%
Zion	269	24,292	18.4%	3.9%
Centralia	270	12,880	12.0%	8.8%
Hanover Park	271	38,302	22.7%	3.4%
Granite City	272	29,764	13.6%	7.5%
Worth	273	10,827	13.0%	9.1%
West Frankfort	274	8,247	19.5%	4.3%
Sandwich	275	7,513	12.0%	11.2%
Streator	276	13,152	15.7%	6.3%
Shelbyville	277	5,211	11.4%	16.3%
Galesburg	278	31,898	16.5%	5.9%
East Moline	279	21,294	16.9%	5.9%
Elmwood Park	280	24,960	12.8%	9.9%
Elgin	281	110,906	21.4%	4.2%
Decatur	282	75,088	13.3%	9.4%
Markham	283	12,625	17.8%	5.9%
Berwyn	284	56,762	21.6%	4.8%
Crest Hill	285	20,444	15.4%	8.0%
Sauk Village	286	10,545	16.7%	6.7%
Kewanee	287	12,694	20.7%	5.2%
Danville	288	32,483	15.8%	7.3%
Bensenville	289	18,457	21.2%	5.1%
Dixon	290	14,963	14.9%	9.3%
Burbank	291	29,097	22.7%	4.9%
Chicago	292	2,712,608	18.4%	6.2%
Salem	293	7,135	13.2%	12.7%
Watseka	294	5,463	15.3%	8.8%
LaSalle	295	9,537	13.3%	14.4%
Waukegan	296	88,671	29.4%	4.3%
Carlinville	297	5,615	15.8%	8.7%
Bellwood	298	19,149	17.4%	7.0%
Melrose Park	299	25,514	33.6%	4.2%
Rock Falls	300	9,111	18.5%	6.7%
Prospect Heights	301	16,344	15.5%	9.5%
Carmi	302	5,307	15.3%	10.2%
Steger	303	9,569	17.0%	8.4%
Robinson	304	7,264	13.5%	16.3%
Belvidere	305	25,713	20.6%	6.5%
Summit	306	11,367	30.6%	5.0%
Round Lake Beach	307	28,048	25.9%	5.3%
Rockford	308	151,290	17.4%	9.0%
Canton	309	14,650	15.2%	14.3%
Aurora	310	199,878	23.6%	6.1%
East St. Louis	311	26,697	21.0%	6.9%
Blue Island	312	23,453	22.3%	6.5%
Fairfield	313	5,080	14.2%	21.3%
Carpentersville	314	38,128	27.2%	5.6%
Pontiac	315	12,012	16.0%	11.2%
Harrisburg	316	8,989	17.3%	9.9%
Paris	317	8,702	15.4%	15.6%
Hoopeston	318	5,474	18.3%	9.7%
Maywood	319	24,148	21.4%	7.7%
Murphysboro	320	8,189	15.7%	16.7%
Cicero	321	84,423	38.5%	6.2%
Chicago Heights	322	30,410	21.7%	8.7%
Pontoon Beach	323	5,804	15.6%	41.5%
East Alton	324	6,231	16.2%	18.3%
Kankakee	325	27,145	23.7%	8.3%
Benton	326	7,185	15.7%	42.8%
West Chicago	327	27,416	26.3%	7.2%
Northlake	328	12,368	29.6%	7.1%
Cahokia	329	14,905	17.3%	17.6%
Schiller Park	330	11,842	19.5%	12.0%
Plano	331	11,371	19.5%	15.1%
Vandalia	332	6,247	19.3%	23.0%
Hillsboro	333	8,371	18.9%	29.0%
Harvard	334	9,829	27.4%	10.1%
Beardstown	335	6,336	22.8%	14.2%
Park City	336	7,551	32.2%	10.7%
Harvey	337	25,225	24.3%	15.1%
Pinckneyville	338	5,600	24.7%	17.4%
Chester	339	8,495	32.1%	20.9%
Sumner	340	5,556	39.7%	71.3%

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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.