City profile · Illinois · Census ACS 2023

Wilmette, IL

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

27,550
Residents
$192,300
Median income
$802,200
Median home
$1,063
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Wilmette, IL

Wilmette is a city in Illinois with a population of 27,550 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $192,300 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 2.8%. Typical homes in Wilmette are valued around $802,200, and the median resident age is 45.7 years. About 84.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 58.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 24 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Slowing), down 17% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1210.4 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. Workers in Wilmette report an average commute of 23.8 minutes, with 42.8% driving alone and 32.0% working from home. 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

27,550 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Illinois

Median Household Income

$192,300 /yr

Poverty 2.8%

Cost of Living Index

100.0 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Wilmette compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 98% higher than other cities
Home value 95% pricier than other cities
Median rent 18% pricier than other cities
Safety 55% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Wilmette 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 — Wilmette, IL Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Wilmette, IL. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Wilmette, IL — median $192,300/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 Wilmette, IL — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 84.6%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.8%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 58.4%

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

Population
27,550
Median Income
$192,300
Median Home Value
$802,200
Median Age
45.7
Poverty Rate
2.8%
Labor force participation
58.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
84.6%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1210.4
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
22.5
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1187.9
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

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

🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
24
housing units authorized
Single-Family
24
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 29
2020 40
2021 21
2022 21
2023 19
2024 24

Permit volume decreased 17% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
23.8 minutes
Drive Alone
42.8%
Carpool
3.4%
Public Transit
16.4%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
32.0%
Other
2.9%

Based on 11,851 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 — Wilmette, 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 Wilmette, 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 Wilmette compares to nearby Illinois cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

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

IL

Wilmette

192.30% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$192,300
Brackets
28
Selected

IL

New Lenox

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,750
Brackets
27
Selected

IL

McHenry

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,780
Brackets
28
Selected

IL

Huntley

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,790
Brackets
28
Census ACS 5-year FIPS IL FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Wilmette, IL?

What is the population of Wilmette, IL? +

Wilmette, IL has a population of 27,550 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Wilmette, IL? +

The median household income in Wilmette is $192,300 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Wilmette? +

Wilmette 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 Wilmette, IL safe? +

Wilmette has a total crime rate of 1210.4 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Wilmette, IL? +

The median home value in Wilmette is $802,200, 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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