Most Densely Populated Cities in Illinois: Ranked by People per Square Mile
The densest city in Illinois in our data is Berwyn, IL, with about 13,929 people per square mile, followed by Cicero, IL (13,774) and Elmwood Park, IL (12,626). This list ranks the top 50 places among the 343 Illinois communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 50 in Illinois?
| # | City | County | Per sq mi | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berwyn, IL | Cook County | 13,929 | 54,391 |
| 2 | Cicero, IL | Cook County | 13,774 | 80,796 |
| 3 | Elmwood Park, IL | Cook County | 12,626 | 24,098 |
| 4 | Chicago, IL | Cook County | 11,847 | 8,604,203 |
| 5 | Oak Park, IL | Cook County | 11,145 | 52,381 |
| 6 | Harwood Heights, IL | Cook County | 10,101 | 8,333 |
| 7 | Evanston, IL | Cook County | 9,443 | 73,473 |
| 8 | Maywood, IL | Cook County | 8,524 | 23,158 |
| 9 | Norridge, IL | Cook County | 7,817 | 14,152 |
| 10 | Bellwood, IL | Cook County | 7,786 | 18,672 |
| 11 | Highwood, IL | Lake County | 7,252 | 5,224 |
| 12 | Boulder Hill, IL | Kendall County | 7,037 | 10,262 |
| 13 | Calumet Park, IL | Cook County | 6,832 | 7,602 |
| 14 | Burbank, IL | Cook County | 6,783 | 28,289 |
| 15 | Park City, IL | Lake County | 6,426 | 7,438 |
| 16 | Oak Lawn, IL | Cook County | 6,418 | 55,022 |
| 17 | Skokie, IL | Cook County | 6,229 | 62,700 |
| 18 | Glendale Heights, IL | DuPage County | 6,206 | 33,617 |
| 19 | Chicago Ridge, IL | Cook County | 6,141 | 13,928 |
| 20 | Orland Hills, IL | Cook County | 6,133 | 7,023 |
| 21 | La Grange, IL | Cook County | 6,066 | 15,322 |
| 22 | Evergreen Park, IL | Cook County | 6,053 | 19,147 |
| 23 | Brookfield, IL | Cook County | 5,975 | 18,310 |
| 24 | La Grange Park, IL | Cook County | 5,910 | 13,178 |
| 25 | Hanover Park, IL | DuPage County | 5,903 | 37,426 |
| 26 | Melrose Park, IL | Cook County | 5,827 | 24,703 |
| 27 | Forest Park, IL | Cook County | 5,706 | 13,704 |
| 28 | Blue Island, IL | Cook County | 5,623 | 22,899 |
| 29 | Round Lake Beach, IL | Lake County | 5,369 | 279,381 |
| 30 | Summit, IL | Cook County | 5,245 | 11,116 |
| 31 | Park Ridge, IL | Cook County | 5,211 | 36,950 |
| 32 | Midlothian, IL | Cook County | 5,087 | 14,346 |
| 33 | Streamwood, IL | Cook County | 5,035 | 39,228 |
| 34 | Posen, IL | Cook County | 5,017 | 5,865 |
| 35 | Wilmette, IL | Cook County | 5,014 | 27,089 |
| 36 | Mount Prospect, IL | Cook County | 5,009 | 53,719 |
| 37 | Calumet City, IL | Cook County | 4,999 | 35,913 |
| 38 | Palatine, IL | Cook County | 4,962 | 67,482 |
| 39 | Niles, IL | Cook County | 4,949 | 28,938 |
| 40 | Dolton, IL | Cook County | 4,887 | 22,348 |
| 41 | Westmont, IL | DuPage County | 4,887 | 24,443 |
| 42 | Clarendon Hills, IL | DuPage County | 4,872 | 8,752 |
| 43 | Hickory Hills, IL | Cook County | 4,848 | 13,710 |
| 44 | Western Springs, IL | Cook County | 4,789 | 13,359 |
| 45 | Lyons, IL | Cook County | 4,745 | 10,372 |
| 46 | Carpentersville, IL | Kane County | 4,734 | 37,254 |
| 47 | Wheaton, IL | DuPage County | 4,665 | 52,745 |
| 48 | Elmhurst, IL | DuPage County | 4,556 | 46,746 |
| 49 | Villa Park, IL | DuPage County | 4,551 | 21,483 |
| 50 | Lincolnwood, IL | Cook County | 4,548 | 12,245 |
How dense are the cities in Illinois?
The densest place is about 6 times as dense as the median place in the state, which has about 2,196 people per square mile. At the other end, Wilmington, IL has about 409. Under our scale, 36 places are an urban core (over 5,000 per square mile), 278 are suburban, and the rest are small towns or rural. Cook County contributes 38 of the top 50.
Which counties do the top 50 belong to?
The 50 places on this list are spread across 5 counties of Illinois. Cook County has 38 (Berwyn, Cicero, Elmwood Park, Chicago, Oak Park, Harwood Heights, Evanston, Maywood, Norri); DuPage County has 7 (Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Westmont, Clarendon Hills, Wheaton, Elmhurst, Villa Park); Lake County has 3 (Highwood, Park City, Round Lake Beach). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does Illinois compare with the rest of the country?
The median Illinois place with a page has about 14,175 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is about the same size as the national typical place. Berwyn, IL ranks 920th among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 1,362 communities in total, of which 343 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about Illinois cities
- Which is the densest city in Illinois? Berwyn (13,929 per square mile).
- How many Illinois cities have more than 100,000 people? 11 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 82.
- What is the typical size? About 14,175 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.