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
median household income $85,205, 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
Unique to this place
What stands out about Wheeling
What changed most since 1990
White share85.6% → 49.1%(−36.5 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Hispanic share8.3% → 28.1%(+19.9 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Poverty rate3.2% → 10.0%(+6.8 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)46.3%(332)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era18.1%(130)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.1%(15)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.7%(12)
US avg: 1%
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
Over time
Wheeling, decade by decade
Wheeling population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
29,911
$95,638
$273,128
30.0%
32.2
2000
34,496
$101,085
$268,876
32.1%
63.4
2010
37,648
$80,372
$342,811
37.6%
76.4
2020
39,137
$87,226
$244,832
41.3%
81.6
2024
38,433
$85,205
$266,200
40.8%
81.7
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
