City profile · Illinois · Census ACS 2023

Buffalo Grove, IL

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Buffalo Grove — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

42,824
Residents
$129,820
Median income
$392,900
Median home
$1,063
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Buffalo Grove, IL

Buffalo Grove is a city in Illinois with a population of 42,824 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $129,820 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 5.3%. Typical homes in Buffalo Grove are valued around $392,900, and the median resident age is 42.1 years. About 66.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 67.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits), down 100% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 737.9 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Illinois registers 100.0 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,063 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $240 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

42,824 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Illinois

Median Household Income

$129,820 /yr

Poverty 5.3%

Cost of Living Index

100.0 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Buffalo Grove compare to other US cities?

Where Buffalo Grove sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 90% higher than other cities
Home value 77% pricier than other cities
Median rent 18% pricier than other cities
Safety 75% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Buffalo Grove against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Buffalo Grove, IL Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Buffalo Grove, IL. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Buffalo Grove, IL — median $129,820/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Buffalo Grove, IL — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 66.6%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 5.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 67.5%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
42,824
Median Income
$129,820
Median Home Value
$392,900
Median Age
42.1
Poverty Rate
5.3%
Labor force participation
67.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
66.6%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
737.9
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
21.3
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
716.6
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
12
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 2
2020 39
2021 72
2022 67
2023 25
2024 0

Permit volume decreased 100% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
62.1%
Carpool
4.5%
Public Transit
3.2%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
28.5%
Other
1.2%

Based on 22,691 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Illinois — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$90
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$240
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Illinois state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Illinois state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
100.0
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,063/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
54.5 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Buffalo Grove, IL Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Buffalo Grove, IL — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Buffalo Grove compares to nearby Illinois cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Buffalo Grove) plus the nearest peer cities in Illinois, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

IL

Buffalo Grove

129.82% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$129,820
Brackets
43
Selected

IL

Moline

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,220
Brackets
42
Selected

IL

Lombard

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,370
Brackets
44
Selected

IL

Belleville

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,170
Brackets
42
Census ACS 5-year FIPS IL FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Buffalo Grove, IL?

What is the population of Buffalo Grove, IL? +

Buffalo Grove, IL has a population of 42,824 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Buffalo Grove, IL? +

The median household income in Buffalo Grove is $129,820 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Buffalo Grove? +

Buffalo Grove has a cost of living index of 100.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Buffalo Grove, IL safe? +

Buffalo Grove has a total crime rate of 737.9 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Buffalo Grove, IL? +

The median home value in Buffalo Grove is $392,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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