CITY
Wheeling
Illinois · 38,391 residents (2025 est.) · 8.67 sq mi
Time machine
VIEWING
COMPARE TO
Part of the Chicago metro area
Notable rankings
#128Most foreign-born residentsof 6,82645.4%The short version
Wheeling is home to 38,433 people in Illinois. The foreign-born share is 45%. Density works out to 4,432 people per square mile. The typical home is worth $266,200, having more than doubled since 2000. About 41% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.
At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.9
US median: 38.9
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
38,433
+11%since 2000
from 34,496 in 2000
38,391 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
8.67 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202438K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.2%(1,986)
5 to 96.9%(2,671)
10 to 145.8%(2,211)
15 to 194.6%(1,769)
20 to 244.8%(1,853)
25 to 3414.5%(5,592)
35 to 4415.7%(6,051)
45 to 5413%(5,002)
55 to 6411.8%(4,551)
65 to 7410.2%(3,927)
75 to 845.7%(2,195)
85 and over1.6%(625)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$85,205
−16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $55,491 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
57.2%
+22.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.4%
Information11.8%
Finance & insurance7.8%
Professional, scientific, technical7.4%
Other services5.8%
Public administration5.2%
Wholesale trade4.7%
Transportation & warehousing4.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
Education & health services0.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
Construction0.2%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$266,200
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $147,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.1
−24%since 2009
from 4.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
33
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic66.4%(22,892)
Black2.3%(799)
Hispanic / Latino20.7%(7,135)
Asian9.2%(3,183)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic49.1%(18,886)
Black3.8%(1,462)
Hispanic / Latino28.1%(10,805)
Asian15.3%(5,895)
Other3.6%(1,385)
82
+13%since 2009
from 72 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican23.1%(8,894)
South American2.1%(804)
Central American0.9%(342)
Puerto Rican0.9%(339)
Ecuadorian0.5%(194)
Colombian0.5%(191)
Honduran0.4%(160)
Peruvian0.4%(157)
Argentine0.3%(120)
Guatemalan0.2%(75)
Salvadoran0.2%(75)
Venezuelan0.2%(72)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian5.5%(2,129)
Filipino3.9%(1,509)
Korean3.3%(1,251)
Chinese1%(392)
Vietnamese0.5%(199)
Nepalese0.2%(83)
Pakistani0.2%(80)
Mongolian0.1%(48)
Thai0.1%(38)
Japanese0.1%(26)
Cambodian0.1%(26)
Laotian0.1%(25)
Ancestry
German7.6%(2,914)
Polish7.4%(2,828)
Ukrainian4.9%(1,885)
Russian4.6%(1,778)
Irish4.1%(1,592)
American3.7%(1,432)
Italian3%(1,134)
Subsaharan African2.3%(878)
Nigerian2.1%(818)
English1.9%(740)
Romanian1.3%(487)
Greek1%(369)
+ 37 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.9%(362)
Arab0.7%(258)
Norwegian0.6%(223)
Dutch0.6%(221)
French0.5%(206)
Lithuanian0.5%(198)
Serbian0.5%(179)
Scottish0.5%(176)
Austrian0.3%(125)
Bulgarian0.3%(119)
Latvian0.3%(107)
Iranian0.3%(102)
West Indian0.2%(87)
Jamaican0.2%(87)
Slovak0.2%(80)
Egyptian0.2%(78)
Danish0.2%(75)
Syrian0.1%(52)
Czech0.1%(46)
Scotch-Irish0.1%(46)
Swiss0.1%(45)
Iraqi0.1%(42)
British0.1%(38)
Armenian0.1%(36)
Israeli0.1%(36)
Finnish0.1%(35)
Moroccan0.1%(34)
Croatian0.1%(28)
Belgian0.1%(25)
Hungarian0.1%(22)
Welsh0.1%(21)
Palestinian0%(15)
Lebanese0%(14)
Slovene0%(11)
Canadian0%(6)
Turkish0%(4)
Ghanaian0%(1)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
87.5%
+4.9 ptssince 2000
from 82.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 79.0% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.5%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 96.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.8%(5,199)
Married55.6%(8,553)
Widowed2.5%(382)
Divorced8.2%(1,255)
Women 15+
Never married25.8%(4,178)
Married51.4%(8,307)
Widowed9.6%(1,551)
Divorced13.2%(2,140)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
17.1%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 14.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
0.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 0.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
64.4%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 66.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 31.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.6%(148)
Gulf War (1990s)46.3%(332)
Vietnam era18.1%(130)
Korean War2.1%(15)
World War II1.7%(12)
Share of the 717 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper
Places similar to Wheeling
Carrollwood
Pop 36,725
Aventura
Pop 39,880
Princeton
Pop 42,625
Meadow Woods
Pop 42,852
Places similar to WheelingHead to head
Compare Wheeling to nearby cities
WHEELING VS
Prospect Heights
Income$85,008same
Home value$346,500+30%
Population15,552−59%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHEELING VS
Buffalo Grove
Income$129,395+52%
Home value$412,300+55%
Population42,812+12%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHEELING VS
Arlington Heights
Income$116,723+37%
Home value$414,500+56%
Population76,216+99%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHEELING VS
Deerfield
Income$181,660+113%
Home value$623,400+134%
Population19,642−49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Wheeling, Illinois?
Wheeling, Illinois has about 38,433 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Wheeling, Illinois?
The typical household in Wheeling, Illinois earns about $85,205 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Wheeling, Illinois expensive?
In Wheeling, Illinois, the median home is worth about $266,200, and the typical rent is about $1,663 a month.
How educated are people in Wheeling, Illinois?
About 40.8% of adults age 25 and over in Wheeling, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Wheeling, Illinois?
About 10.0% of people in Wheeling, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.
Has Wheeling, Illinois grown since 1990?
Yes, Wheeling, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 8,522 residents, a change of about 28 percent over that period.
Keep going
Explore from here
Up the hierarchy
IllinoisDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024