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Place dossier plate
SheetIL-WHEELING-IL · Wheeling, IL 38,495 pop · income 65th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Wheeling
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Wheeling on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Atlantic City · lowest
36,220
Atlantic City · lowest
36,220 median HH income
26.2% of the leader · rank #1
Anaktuvuk Pass · near
83,250
Anaktuvuk Pass · near
83,250 median HH income
60.3% of the leader · rank #2
Pretty Bayou · near
83,250
Pretty Bayou · near
83,250 median HH income
60.3% of the leader · rank #3
New Providence · near
83,250
New Providence · near
83,250 median HH income
60.3% of the leader · rank #4
Elk Point · near
83,250
Elk Point · near
83,250 median HH income
60.3% of the leader · rank #5
Wheeling · this city
83,251
Wheeling · this city
83,251 median HH income
60.3% of the leader · rank #6
Park Ridge · highest
138,059
Park Ridge · highest
138,059 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Wheeling on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 38,495.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Wheeling - the verdict
Nationally, Wheeling sits in the 65th percentile for household income and the 65th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
65th
percentile, household income
55th
percentile, home value
18th
percentile, median rent
65th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Wheeling, IL
Illinois's Wheeling is a small city, with 38,495 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Wheeling brings in $83,251 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.9%. Typical homes in Wheeling are valued around $244,600, and the median resident age is 39.2 years. 40.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 68.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 53 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 83% from five years earlier. Wheeling reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 969.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Illinois at 100.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,063 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Illinois run around $240, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Wheeling's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to schools and households to comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Wheeling, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Wheeling?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 40.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Wheeling?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Illinois, the closest population matches are Urbana (38,447 residents, $45,854 income); Streamwood (39,055 residents, $101,049 income); Quincy (39,188 residents, $56,372 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Atlantic City, NJ (38,486 residents); Phenix City, AL (38,477 residents); Calexico, CA (38,476 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Is Wheeling growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -837 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 53 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Wheeling?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
70.4%
Work from home
11.5%
Public transit
3.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 21,428 workers age 16+.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Wheeling?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 969.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 58% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
969.1
Violent rate
61.7
Property rate
907.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 6.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.0 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
C+
City profile score · Wheeling, IL
62/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A-
62 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B+
40.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income C+
$83,251
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C-
6.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living D
100.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Wheeling profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 81/100 (A-) · 62 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 40.3%
Household income: 63/100 (C+) · $83,251
Poverty rate: 53/100 (C-) · 6.9%
Cost of living: 40/100 (D) · 100.0 index
Where Wheeling sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Wheeling's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Wheeling highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Wheeling, IL (this city): home $244,600, crime 969/100k
Atlantic City, NJ : home $189,600, crime 8,017/100k
Phenix City, AL : home $160,000, crime 4,248/100k
Calexico, CA : home $281,700, crime 682/100k
Westerville, OH : home $343,200, crime 1,947/100k
Urbana, IL : home $186,300, crime 3,036/100k
Streamwood, IL : home $258,300, crime 835/100k
Park Ridge, IL : home $539,300, crime 944/100k
Carol Stream, IL : home $308,700, crime 780/100k
Carpentersville, IL : home $225,200, crime 891/100k
How does Wheeling compare to other US cities?
Here's how Wheeling stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income65% higher than other cities
Home value55% pricier than other cities
Median rent18% pricier than other cities
Safety65% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Illinois alone, Wheeling ranks #238 of 455 Illinois cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Wheeling against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Wheeling near the bottom of Illinois's cities
Among the 1,336 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Wheeling ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Wheeling only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#367 of 1,311
72nd percentile in Illinois
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,336
0th percentile in Illinois
Median Home Value
#239 of 1,315
82nd percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#685 of 1,335
48th percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#183 of 1,336
86th percentile in Illinois
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Illinois only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
65th percentile nationally for median household income · 65th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Wheeling's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Wheeling's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Wheeling's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$244,60045th percentilemore affordable than 45% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Wheeling's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,351 of 15,516
More affordable than 59% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#821 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.9×, Wheeling sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,351 of 15,516 and #821 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$83,251Wheeling, IL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Wheeling, IL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Wheeling, IL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)40.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)68.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
38,495
Median Income
$83,251
Median Home Value
$244,600
Median Age
39.2
Poverty Rate
6.9%
Labor force participation
68.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
969.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
61.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
907.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Wheeling's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
39,228 residents
2021
38,526 residents
2022
37,997 residents
2023
38,060 residents
2024
38,331 residents
2025
38,391 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
53
housing units authorized
Single-Family
53
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
321
0
321
$56.0M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
3
3
0
$0.7M
2022
66
4
62
$15.2M
2023
11
0
11
$1.9M
2024
53
53
0
$6.4M
Permit volume decreased 83% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.4%
Carpool
11.8%
Public Transit
3.9%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
11.5%
Other
1.5%
Based on 21,428 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Illinois statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $240
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Illinois at $240 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Illinois statewide averages, not a meter reading for Wheeling. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Illinois's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.0 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Wheeling is $1,063/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Illinois statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Illinois statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Wheeling sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Wheeling compares to similar-size Illinois cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
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.