# Chicago metropolitan area

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Metropolitan area in the United States

"Chicagoland" redirects here. For other uses, see [Chicagoland (disambiguation)](/source/Chicagoland_(disambiguation)).

Conurbation in the United States

Chicago (Chicagoland) metropolitan area Conurbation Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area From top, left to right: Chicago skyline from Lakefront Trail at Northerly Island during sunrise, view of Gold Coast, aerial view Evanston, Downtown Naperville, view of Downtown Aurora Map of Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI CSA City of Chicago Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN MSA Chicago–Naperville–Schaumburg, IL Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division Lake County, IL Metropolitan Division Lake County–Porter Cty–Jasper Cty, IN Other Statistical Areas in the Chicago CSA Kenosha, WI MSA Ottawa, IL µSA Michigan City–La Porte, IN MSA Kankakee, IL MSA Country United States States Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Core city Chicago Satellite cities - Aurora - Elgin - Crystal Lake - Joliet - Naperville - Evanston - Schaumburg - Waukegan - Kankakee - Gary - Hammond - Michigan City - Kenosha Area • Metro 10,856 sq mi (28,120 km2) Highest elevation [1] 673 ft (205 m) Lowest elevation [1] 579 ft (176 m) Population • Density 886/sq mi (342/km2) • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (2022) 9,441,957[2] (3rd) • Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (2022) 9,806,184[3] (4th) Demonym Chicagolander GDP [4] • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) $923.120 billion (2024) • Combined Statistical Area (CSA) $957.552 billion (2024) Time zone UTC−6 (CST) • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT) Area codes 219, 224/847, 262, 312/872, 331/630, 574, 464/708, 773/872 and 779/815

The **Chicago metropolitan area**, also known as **Chicagoland**, is the largest [metropolitan area](/source/Metropolitan_statistical_area) in the [U.S. state](/source/U.S._state) of [Illinois](/source/Illinois) and in the [Midwest](/source/Midwestern_United_States). The metropolitan area contains the [City of Chicago](/source/Chicago) along with its surrounding suburbs, satellite cities, and [hinterland](/source/Hinterland), spanning 13 [counties](/source/Counties) across northeast [Illinois](/source/Illinois) and northwest [Indiana](/source/Indiana). The MSA had a 2020 census population of 9,618,502, and the combined statistical area, which spans 19 counties and extends into southeast [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin), had a population of nearly 10 million.[5][6] The Chicago area is the [third-largest metropolitan area](/source/Metropolitan_statistical_area) in the United States, the fourth-largest in [North America](/source/North_America) (after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles), and the largest in the [Great Lakes megalopolis](/source/Great_Lakes_megalopolis). Its urban area is the [50th-largest in the world](/source/List_of_urban_areas_by_population).

According to the [2020 census](/source/2020_United_States_census), Chicagoland's population is approaching 10 million. The metropolitan area has seen a substantial increase of [Latin American](/source/Latinos) residents on top of its already large Latino population, and the [Asian American](/source/Asian_American) population also increased. The metro area has a large number of [White](/source/European_Americans), [Black](/source/African_American), [Latino](/source/Hispanic_and_Latino_Americans), [Asian](/source/Asian_American), and [Arab American](/source/Arab_American) residents, and also has [Native American](/source/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) residents. The Chicago metropolitan area has about 3 percent of the U.S. population.

Chicagoland has one of the world's largest and most diversified economies. With more than six million full and part-time employees, the Chicago metropolitan area is a key factor of the Illinois economy. The state has an annual GDP of over $1 trillion,[7] and the Chicago metropolitan area generated an annual [gross regional product](/source/Gross_regional_product) (GRP) of approximately $700 billion in 2018.[8] The region is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the [*Fortune* 500](/source/Fortune_500),[9] such as McDonald's, United, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. With many companies having project engagements in Chicago, the area ranked as the nation's top metropolitan area for corporation relocations and expansions for nine consecutive years, the most consecutive years for any region in the country.[10] This metric however only measures project engagements, not real GDP or job growth, areas in which Chicago has substantially underperformed many other major metropolitan areas throughout the country over the past decade.[11][12] There have been numerous high-profile companies — including several Fortune 500 firms — that have departed the city in recent years, such as [Boeing](/source/Boeing), [Caterpillar](/source/Caterpillar_Inc.), [TTX](/source/TTX_Company), [Citadel Securities](/source/Citadel_Securities) and [Tyson](/source/Tyson_Foods), primarily due to unfavorable tax and regulatory conditions, as well as concerns related to crime and overall quality of life.[13][14] According to [McDonald's](/source/McDonald's) CEO [Chris Kempczinski](/source/Chris_Kempczinski) these factors have significantly hindered the company's ability to recruit talent for corporate roles at its Chicago headquarters.[15]

The Chicago area is home to a number of the nation's leading [research universities](/source/Research_universities), including the [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago), [Northwestern University](/source/Northwestern_University), the [University of Illinois at Chicago](/source/University_of_Illinois_at_Chicago), [DePaul University](/source/DePaul_University), [Loyola University](/source/Loyola_University_Chicago), and the [Illinois Institute of Technology](/source/Illinois_Institute_of_Technology) (IIT). The University of Chicago and Northwestern University are consistently ranked as two of the world's best universities.

There are many transportation options around the region. Chicagoland has three separate rail networks: the [Chicago Transit Authority](/source/Chicago_Transit_Authority) (CTA), [Metra](/source/Metra), and the [South Shore Line](/source/South_Shore_Line). The CTA operates elevated and subway lines that run primarily in the city, [Downtown Chicago](/source/Downtown_Chicago), and some suburbs. The CTA operates some of its rail lines 24 hours a day, every day of the year, nonstop, making Chicago one of only three cities in the world (alongside New York City and Copenhagen) to offer 24-hour nonstop rail service everyday throughout their city limits. The Metra [commuter rail](/source/Commuter_rail) network runs numerous lines between Downtown Chicago and suburban/satellite cities, with one line stretching to [Kenosha, Wisconsin](/source/Kenosha%2C_Wisconsin). The [interurban](/source/Interurban) South Shore Line runs between Downtown Chicago and the northwest Indiana portion of the metropolitan area. In addition, [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak)'s [Union Station](/source/Union_Station_(Chicago)) in Downtown Chicago is one of its largest hubs, with numerous lines radiating to and from it.

CTA bus routes serve the city proper, with some service into the suburbs. [Pace](/source/Pace_(transit)) bus routes serve the suburbs, with some service into the city. In addition, numerous CTA bus routes operate 24 hours a day, nonstop.

## Definitions

### Chicago Metropolitan statistical area

The Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget:
  Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI MSA

  Michigan City–La Porte, IN MSA

  Kankakee, IL MSA

  Ottawa, IL MSA

The Chicago [metropolitan statistical area](/source/Metropolitan_statistical_area) (MSA) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It comprised the [Illinois](/source/Illinois) counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in [Indiana](/source/Indiana). As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined by the U.S. [Office of Management and Budget](/source/Office_of_Management_and_Budget) (OMB) as the **Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area**, is the third-largest MSA by population in the United States. The 2022 census estimate for the population of the MSA was 9,441,957.[16]

The Chicago MSA is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. A breakdown of the county constituents and 2021 estimated populations of the four metropolitan divisions of the MSA are as follows:[16]

Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (9,509,934)

- *Chicago–Naperville–Schaumburg, IL Metropolitan Division* (7,159,394) - [Cook County, Illinois](/source/Cook_County%2C_Illinois) (5,173,146) - [DuPage County, Illinois](/source/DuPage_County%2C_Illinois) (924,885) - [Grundy County, Illinois](/source/Grundy_County%2C_Illinois) (52,989) - [McHenry County, Illinois](/source/McHenry_County%2C_Illinois) (311,122) - [Will County, Illinois](/source/Will_County%2C_Illinois) (697,252)

- *Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division* (750,869) - [DeKalb County, Illinois](/source/DeKalb_County%2C_Illinois) (100,414) - [Kane County, Illinois](/source/Kane_County%2C_Illinois) (515,588) - [Kendall County, Illinois](/source/Kendall_County%2C_Illinois) (134,867)

- *Lake County, IL Metropolitan Division* (711,239) - [Lake County, Illinois](/source/Lake_County%2C_Illinois) (711,239)

- *Lake County–Porter County–Jasper County, IN Metropolitan Division* (719,700) - [Jasper County, Indiana](/source/Jasper_County%2C_Indiana) (33,091) - [Lake County, Indiana](/source/Lake_County%2C_Indiana) (498,558) - [Newton County, Indiana](/source/Newton_County%2C_Indiana) (13,808) - [Porter County, Indiana](/source/Porter_County%2C_Indiana) (174,243)

### Combined statistical area

The OMB also defines a slightly larger region as a [combined statistical area](/source/Combined_statistical_area) (CSA). The **Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area** combines the following [core-based statistical areas](/source/Core-based_statistical_area), listed with their 2021 estimated populations. The combined statistical area as a whole had a population of 9,806,184 as of 2022.[16]

- *Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI metropolitan statistical area* (9,509,934)

- *Kankakee, IL metropolitan statistical area* (106,601) - [Kankakee County, Illinois](/source/Kankakee_County%2C_Illinois) (106,601)

- *Michigan City–La Porte, IN metropolitan statistical area* (112,390) - [LaPorte County, Indiana](/source/LaPorte_County%2C_Indiana) (112,390)

- *Kenosha, WI metropolitan statistical area* - [Kenosha County, Wisconsin](/source/Kenosha_County%2C_Wisconsin)

- *Ottawa, IL micropolitan statistical area* (147,414) - [Bureau County, Illinois](/source/Bureau_County%2C_Illinois) (32,883) - [LaSalle County, Illinois](/source/LaSalle_County%2C_Illinois) (108,965) - [Putnam County, Illinois](/source/Putnam_County%2C_Illinois) (5,566)

### United Nations' Chicago urban agglomeration

The Chicago [urban agglomeration](/source/Urban_agglomeration), according to the [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) *World Urbanization Prospects* report (2023 revision), lists a population of 8,937,000.[17] The term "urban agglomeration" refers to the population contained within the contours of a contiguous territory inhabited at [urban density](/source/Urban_density) levels. It usually incorporates the population in a city, plus that in the contiguous urban, or built-up area.

### Chicagoland

Chicagoland by county and state as defined by the Construction Data Company[18]

A map of Chicagoland in relation to the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana

Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area. The term *Chicagoland* has no official definition, and the region is often considered to include areas beyond the corresponding MSA, as well as portions of the greater CSA.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

[Colonel Robert R. McCormick](/source/Robert_R._McCormick), editor and publisher of the *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)*, usually gets credit for placing the term in common use.[19][20] McCormick's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of four states (Indiana, [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin), [Michigan](/source/Michigan), and [Iowa](/source/Iowa)).[19] The first usage was in the *Tribune'*s July 27, 1926, front page headline, "Chicagoland's Shrines: A Tour of Discoveries", for an article by reporter [James O'Donnell Bennett](/source/James_O'Donnell_Bennett).[21] He stated that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200-mile (320 km) radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The *Tribune* was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that [hinterland](/source/Hinterland) was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links.[22]

Today, the *Chicago Tribune'*s usage includes the city of Chicago, the rest of [Cook County](/source/Cook_County), eight nearby Illinois counties (Lake, [McHenry](/source/McHenry_County%2C_Illinois), [DuPage](/source/DuPage_County%2C_Illinois), [Kane](/source/Kane_County%2C_Illinois), [Kendall](/source/Kendall_County%2C_Illinois), [Grundy](/source/Grundy_County%2C_Illinois), [Will](/source/Will_County%2C_Illinois), and [Kankakee](/source/Kankakee_County%2C_Illinois)), and the two Indiana counties of Lake and [Porter](/source/Porter_County%2C_Indiana).[23] Illinois Department of Tourism literature uses *Chicagoland* for suburbs in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties,[24] treating the city separately. The [Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce](/source/Chicagoland_Chamber_of_Commerce) defines it as all of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.[25]

In addition, company marketing programs such as Construction Data Company's[18] "Chicago and Vicinity" region and the [Chicago Automobile Trade Association](/source/Chicago_Automobile_Trade_Association)'s *"Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana"* advertising campaign are directed at the MSA itself, as well as LaSalle, [Winnebago](/source/Winnebago_County%2C_Illinois) ([Rockford](/source/Rockford%2C_Illinois)), [Boone](/source/Boone_County%2C_Illinois), and [Ogle](/source/Ogle_County%2C_Illinois) counties in Illinois, in addition to [Jasper](/source/Jasper_County%2C_Indiana), [Newton](/source/Newton_County%2C_Indiana), and [La Porte](/source/La_Porte_County%2C_Indiana) counties in Indiana and [Kenosha](/source/Kenosha_County%2C_Wisconsin), [Racine](/source/Racine_County%2C_Wisconsin), and [Walworth](/source/Walworth_County%2C_Wisconsin) counties in Wisconsin, and even as far northeast as [Berrien County, Michigan](/source/Berrien_County%2C_Michigan). The region is part of the [Great Lakes Megalopolis](/source/Great_Lakes_Megalopolis), containing an estimated 55 million people.[26]

### Collar counties

The term "[collar counties](/source/Collar_counties)" is a [colloquialism](/source/Colloquialism) for the five counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, [McHenry](/source/McHenry_County%2C_Illinois), and Will) of Illinois that border Chicago's Cook County. After Cook County, they are also the next five most populous counties in the state. According to the *Encyclopedia of Chicago*, there is no specifically known origin of the phrase, but it has been commonly used among policy makers, urban planners, and in the media. However, it also notes that as growth has spread beyond these counties, it may have lost some of its usefulness.[27]

### Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Main article: [Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning](/source/Chicago_Metropolitan_Agency_for_Planning)

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is an Illinois state agency responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long-term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction within Illinois.[28] The planning area has a population of over 8 million, which includes the following locations in Illinois:[29]

- [Cook County](/source/Cook_County)

- [DuPage County](/source/DuPage_County)

- [Kane County](/source/Kane_County%2C_Illinois)

- [Kendall County](/source/Kendall_County%2C_Illinois)

- [Lake County](/source/Lake_County%2C_Illinois)

- [McHenry County](/source/McHenry_County%2C_Illinois)

- [Will County](/source/Will_County)

Panorama of North Avenue Beach

## Geography and environment

Further information: [Geography of Chicago](/source/Geography_of_Chicago)

Taken from the ISS on June 23, 2022; downtown Chicago is at the center by the lake.

The city of Chicago lies in the Chicago Plain, a flat and broad area characterized by little topographical relief. The few low hills are sand ridges. North of the Chicago Plain, steep bluffs and ravines run alongside Lake Michigan.

Along the southern shore of the Chicago Plain, sand dunes run alongside the lake. The tallest dunes reach up to near 200 feet (61 m) and are found in [Indiana Dunes National Park](/source/Indiana_Dunes_National_Park). Surrounding the low plain are bands of [moraines](/source/Moraine) in the south and west suburbs. These areas are higher and hillier than the Chicago Plain. A [continental divide](/source/Chicago_Portage), separating the [Mississippi River](/source/Mississippi_River) watershed from that of the [Great Lakes](/source/Great_Lakes) and [Saint Lawrence River](/source/Saint_Lawrence_River), runs through the Chicago area.

A 2012 survey of the urban trees and forests in the seven county Illinois section of the Chicago area found that 21% of the land is covered by the tree and shrub canopy, made up of about 157,142,000 trees. The five most common tree species are [buckthorn](/source/Rhamnus_cathartica), [green ash](/source/Green_ash), [boxelder](/source/Boxelder), [black cherry](/source/Black_cherry), and [American elm](/source/American_elm). These resources perform important functions in carbon storage, water recycling, and energy saving.[30][31]

Night aerial view of Chicago and vicinity

## Demographics

Population density in the Chicago urban area

### Race and ethnicity

As of 2022, the metropolitan area had a population of 9,442,159. The population density was 1,312.3 per square mile. The racial makeup was 50.1% Non-Hispanic White, 23.4% were Hispanic, 15.5% were Non-Hispanic African Americans, 7.2% were Asian, 0.1% were Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.4% identified as “some other race,” and 3.2% were non-Hispanic multiracial.[32]

### Ancestry

According to 2023 estimates from the [American Community Survey](/source/American_Community_Survey), the largest ancestries in the Chicago metro area were [Mexican](/source/Mexican_Americans) (18.3%), [African](/source/African_Americans) (17.7%), [German](/source/German_Americans) (12.6%), [Irish](/source/Irish_Americans) (9.9%), [Polish](/source/Polish-Americans_in_Chicago) (7.8%), [Italian](/source/Italian_Americans) (6.2%), [English](/source/English_Americans) (4.8%), [Indian](/source/Indian_Americans_in_Chicago) (2.7%), [Puerto Rican](/source/Puerto_Ricans) (2.2%), [Filipino](/source/Filipino_Americans) (1.7%), [Swedish](/source/Swedish_Americans) (1.5%), and [Chinese](/source/Chinese_Americans) (1.5%).[33][34][35][36]

Ancestry Number in 2023 (Alone)[37][38] Number as of 2023 (Alone or in any combination)[33][34][35] % Total Mexican — 1,702,582 18.4% Black or African American (Including Afro-Caribbean & Sub-Saharan African) 1,454,774 1,640,932 17.7% German 258,719 1,171,467 12.6% Irish 228,668 920,413 9.9% Polish 308,727 721,538 7.8% Italian 171,860 573,170 6.2% English 111,705 448,481 4.8% Indian 233,793 248,606 2.7% American (Mostly old-stock white Americans of British descent) 160,656 224,204 2.4% Puerto Rican — 206,682 2.2% Filipino 121,749 157,730 1.7% Swedish 26,644 143,476 1.5% Chinese 113,354 137,286 1.5% French 10,665 106,879 1.2% Dutch 28,209 96,060 1.0% Arab 66,215 94,913 1.0% Scottish 16,268 89,240 1.0% Greek 37,976 85,501 0.9% Norwegian 21,289 85,404 0.9% Russian 28,348 78,252 0.8% Czech 19,212 72,058 0.8% Ukrainian 47,806 69,266 0.7% Indigenous Latin American 38,200 64,863 0.7% Korean 49,779 62,325 0.7% Lithuanian 24,763 59,359 0.6% Pakistani 41,457 47,078 0.5% Nigerian 31,833 41,263 0.4% Guatemalan — 40,847 0.4% Ecuadorian — 38,590 0.4% Hungarian 10,626 37,658 0.4% Colombian — 37,451 0.4% Croatian 11,316 36,601 0.4% Scotch-Irish 8,216 32,606 0.4% Romanian 20,218 31,904 0.3% Japanese 14,823 31,055 0.3% Vietnamese 24,447 31,007 0.3%

A [dot distribution map](/source/Dot_distribution_map) showing the ethnic and racial demographics of the Chicago area according to the 2020 Census

### Urban growth

The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Naperville are noteworthy for being four of the few [boomburbs](/source/Boomburb) outside the [Sun Belt](/source/Sun_Belt), [West Coast](/source/West_Coast_of_the_United_States) and [Mountain States](/source/Mountain_States) regions, and [exurban](/source/Commuter_town) Kendall County ranked as the fastest-growing county (among counties with a population greater than 10,000) in the United States between 2000 and 2007.[39]

### Income

Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper: the northern and northwestern suburbs are generally affluent and [upper-middle class](/source/Upper_middle_class_in_the_United_States), while the southern suburbs (sometimes known as [Chicago Southland](/source/Chicago_Southland)) have somewhat lower median incomes and a cost of living, with the exception being the southwest suburbs which contain many upper-middle class areas. Another exception to this is the [West Side](/source/West_Side%2C_Chicago), which has a somewhat lower median income, but the western suburbs contain many affluent and upper-middle class areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County as a whole had the highest median household income of any county in the [Midwestern United States](/source/Midwestern_United_States), although there are individual cities and towns in other surrounding counties in the metro that have even higher median incomes.

According to 2022 estimates from the U.S. Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows: McHenry 4.0%, Dupage 6.7%, Will 6.9%, Kane 7.8%, Lake 8.0%, and Cook 13.6%.[40] However, Cook County, which contains luxury high rises and expensive houses in sections of the city and expensive houses along the waterfront in the [North Shore](/source/North_Shore_(Chicago)) area, would also have the highest percentage of expensive homes in the region.

In an in-depth historical analysis, Keating (2004, 2005) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area. The settlements began as farm centers (41%), industrial towns (30%), residential railroad suburbs (15%), and recreational/institutional centers (13%). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Population

As the Chicago metropolitan area has grown, more counties have been partly or totally assimilated with the taking of each decennial census.

Census Area Area Type 2020 census 2010 census 2000 census 1990 census 1980 Census 1970 census 1960 census 1950 census Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan 9,618,502 9,461,105 9,098,316 8,065,633 7,869,542 7,612,314 6,794,461 5,495,364 Cook County, Illinois Metropolitan 5,275,541 5,194,675 5,376,741 5,105,067 5,253,655 5,492,369 5,129,725 4,508,792 DeKalb County, Illinois Metropolitan 100,420 105,160 88,969 77,932 74,624 71,654 51,714 40,781 DuPage County, Illinois Metropolitan 932,877 916,924 904,161 781,666 658,835 491,882 313,459 154,599 Grundy County, Illinois Metropolitan 52,533 50,063 37,535 32,337 30,582 26,535 22,350 19,217 Kane County, Illinois Metropolitan 516,522 515,269 404,119 317,471 278,405 251,005 208,246 150,388 Kendall County, Illinois Metropolitan 131,869 114,736 54,544 39,413 37,202 26,374 17,540 12,115 McHenry County, Illinois Metropolitan 310,229 308,760 260,077 183,241 147,897 111,555 84,210 50,656 Will County, Illinois Metropolitan 696,355 677,560 502,266 357,313 324,460 249,498 191,617 134,336 Jasper County, Indiana Metropolitan 32,918 33,478 30,043 24,960 26,138 20,429 18,842 17,031 Lake County, Indiana Metropolitan 498,700 496,005 484,564 475,594 522,965 546,253 513,269 368,152 Newton County, Indiana Metropolitan 13,830 14,244 14,566 13,551 14,844 11,606 11,502 11,006 Porter County, Indiana Metropolitan 173,215 164,343 146,798 128,932 119,816 87,114 60,279 40,076 Lake County, Illinois Metropolitan 714,342 703,462 644,356 516,418 440,372 382,638 293,656 179,097 Kenosha County, Wisconsin Metropolitan 169,151 166,426 149,577 128,181 123,137 117,917 100,615 75,238 Kankakee County, Illinois Combined 107,502 113,449 103,833 96,255 102,926 97,250 92,063 73,524 LaSalle County, Illinois Combined 109,658 113,924 111,509 106,913 112,003 111,409 110,800 100,610 Bureau County, Illinois Combined 33,244 34,978 35,503 35,688 39,114 38,541 37,594 37,711 Putnam County, Illinois Combined 5,637 6,006 6,086 5,730 6,085 5,007 4,570 4,746 LaPorte County, Indiana Combined 112,417 111,467 110,106 107,066 108,632 105,342 95,111 76,808 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Combined 9,986,960 9,686,021 9,312,255 8,385,397 8,264,490 8,089,421 7,204,198 5,911,816

Counties highlighted in gray were not included in the MSA for that census. The CSA totals in blue are the totals of all the counties listed above, regardless of whether they were included in the Chicago Combined Statistical Area at the time.[41]

### Principal municipalities

#### Over 1,000,000 population

- [Chicago](/source/Chicago) (2,746,388)

#### Over 100,000 population

- [Aurora, Illinois](/source/Aurora%2C_Illinois) (180,542)

- [Joliet, Illinois](/source/Joliet%2C_Illinois) (150,362)

- [Naperville, Illinois](/source/Naperville%2C_Illinois) (149,540)

- [Elgin, Illinois](/source/Elgin%2C_Illinois) (114,797)

#### Over 50,000 population

- [Waukegan, Illinois](/source/Waukegan%2C_Illinois) (89,321)

- [Cicero, Illinois](/source/Cicero%2C_Illinois) (85,268)

- [Schaumburg, Illinois](/source/Schaumburg%2C_Illinois) (78,723)

- [Evanston, Illinois](/source/Evanston%2C_Illinois) (78,110)

- [Hammond, Indiana](/source/Hammond%2C_Indiana) (77,879)

- [Arlington Heights, Illinois](/source/Arlington_Heights%2C_Illinois) (77,676)

- [Bolingbrook, Illinois](/source/Bolingbrook%2C_Illinois) (73,922)

- [Gary, Indiana](/source/Gary%2C_Indiana) (69,093)

- [Palatine, Illinois](/source/Palatine%2C_Illinois) (67,908)

- [Skokie, Illinois](/source/Skokie%2C_Illinois) (67,824)

- [Des Plaines, Illinois](/source/Des_Plaines%2C_Illinois) (60,675)

- [Orland Park, Illinois](/source/Orland_Park%2C_Illinois) (58,703)

- [Oak Lawn, Illinois](/source/Oak_Lawn%2C_Illinois) (58,362)

- [Berwyn, Illinois](/source/Berwyn%2C_Illinois) (57,250)

- [Mount Prospect, Illinois](/source/Mount_Prospect%2C_Illinois) (56,852)

- [Tinley Park, Illinois](/source/Tinley_Park%2C_Illinois) (55,971)

- [Oak Park, Illinois](/source/Oak_Park%2C_Illinois) (54,583)

- [Wheaton, Illinois](/source/Wheaton%2C_Illinois) (53,970)

- [Downers Grove, Illinois](/source/Downers_Grove%2C_Illinois) (50,247)

View of Chicago greater metropolitan region and the North branch of the [Chicago River](/source/Chicago_River) from the Willis Tower

### Urban areas within

Within the boundary of the 16-county Chicago Combined Statistical Area lies the Chicago [urban area](/source/Urban_area), as well as 26 smaller urban areas.[42] Some of the urban areas below may partially cross into other statistical areas. Only those situated primarily within the Chicago combined statistical area are listed here.

Urban areas contained within the Chicago combined statistical area as of the 2020 census:
  Urban areas

  Counties in the Chicago MSA

  Counties in the Chicago CSA but not the MSA

Urban area Population (2020 census) Land area (sq mi) Land area (km2) Density (population / sq mi) Density (population / km2) Chicago, IL–IN 8,671,746 2,337.89 6,055.09 3,709.2 1,432.1 Round Lake Beach–McHenry–Grayslake, IL–WI 261,835 127.61 330.52 2,051.8 792.2 Kenosha, WI 125,865 56.17 145.48 2,240.8 865.2 Michigan City–La Porte, IN–MI 71,367 49.16 127.32 1,451.7 560.5 Kankakee, IL 66,530 31.66 82.00 2,101.4 811.3 DeKalb, IL 64,736 25.63 66.39 2,525.6 975.1 Valparaiso–Shorewood Forest, IN 51,867 33.64 87.12 1,542.0 595.4 Peru–LaSalle, IL 29,763 21.45 55.56 1,387.4 535.7 Woodstock, IL 25,298 9.31 24.10 2,718.7 1,049.7 Ottawa, IL 20,122 9.99 25.87 2,014.2 777.7 Streator, IL 16,209 8.12 21.04 1,995.3 770.4 Coal City–Braidwood, IL 15,837 10.29 26.65 1,539.4 594.4 Morris, IL 15,740 8.64 22.37 1,822.2 703.5 Lowell, IN 10,747 5.28 13.66 2,037.2 786.6 Manteno, IL 10,437 6.01 15.56 1,736.8 670.6 Harvard, IL 9,376 4.36 11.30 2,148.7 829.6 Princeton, IL 7,979 6.20 16.06 1,287.1 497.0 Marengo, IL 7,509 3.81 9.86 1,971.5 761.2 Lake Holiday, IL 7,313 4.30 11.14 1,700.5 656.6 Mendota, IL 6,918 2.85 7.38 2,426.2 936.8 Wilmington, IL 6,388 3.95 10.23 1,617.3 624.5 McHenry Northwest–Wonder Lake, IL 5,758 2.35 6.08 2,453.6 947.4 Hampshire, IL 5,699 2.72 7.06 2,091.4 807.5 Rensselaer, IN 5,509 3.23 8.37 1,703.9 657.9 Genoa, IL 5,484 2.20 5.69 2,498.0 964.5 Westville, IN 5,189 2.10 5.45 2,466.0 952.1 Marseilles, IL 4,660 2.39 6.19 1,948.4 752.3

## Economy

Westward view from the [Willis Tower](/source/Willis_Tower) in Chicago

Main article: [Economy of Chicago](/source/Economy_of_Chicago)

See also: [List of companies in the Chicago metropolitan area](/source/List_of_companies_in_the_Chicago_metropolitan_area), [Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce](/source/Chicagoland_Chamber_of_Commerce), and [Economy of Illinois](/source/Economy_of_Illinois)

The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the corporate headquarters of 57 [Fortune 1000](/source/Fortune_1000) companies, including [AbbVie Inc.](/source/AbbVie_Inc.), [Allstate](/source/Allstate), [Kraft Heinz](/source/Kraft_Heinz), [McDonald's](/source/McDonald's), [Mondelez International](/source/Mondelez_International), [Motorola](/source/Motorola), [United Airlines](/source/United_Airlines), [Walgreens](/source/Walgreens), and [more](/source/List_of_companies_in_the_Chicago_metropolitan_area). The Chicago area also headquarters a wide variety of global financial institutions including [Discover Financial Services](/source/Discover_Financial_Services), [Morningstar, Inc.](/source/Morningstar%2C_Inc.), [CNA Financial](/source/CNA_Financial), and more. Chicago is home to the largest [futures exchange](/source/Futures_exchange) in the world, the [Chicago Mercantile Exchange](/source/Chicago_Mercantile_Exchange). In March 2008, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange announced its acquisition of NYMEX Holdings Inc, the parent company of the [New York Mercantile Exchange](/source/New_York_Mercantile_Exchange) and Commodity Exchange. CME'S acquisition of NYMEX was completed in August 2008.

A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the [Union Stock Yards](/source/Union_Stock_Yards) of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of [beef](/source/Beef) and [pork](/source/Pork). This prompted poet [Carl Sandburg](/source/Carl_Sandburg) to describe Chicago as the "Hog Butcher for the World".[43]

The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, crude oil derivatives, automobiles, and industrial capital goods.

By the early 2000s, Illinois' economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services, such as financial trading, [higher education](/source/Higher_education), [logistics](/source/Logistics), and health care. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global [derivatives](/source/Derivative_(finance)), had begun its life as an agricultural [futures market](/source/Futures_market).

In 2007, the area ranked first among U.S. metro areas in the number of new and expanded corporate facilities.[44] It ranked third in 2008, behind the [Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown](/source/Houston%E2%80%93Sugar_Land%E2%80%93Baytown) and [Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan areas](/source/Dallas%E2%80%93Fort_Worth_metropolitan_area),[45] and ranked second behind the [New York metropolitan area](/source/New_York_metropolitan_area) in 2009.[46]

*[The Wall Street Journal](/source/The_Wall_Street_Journal)* summarized the Chicago area's economy in November 2006 with the comment that "Chicago has survived by repeatedly reinventing itself."[47]

## Transportation

[O'Hare Airport](/source/O'Hare_Airport)

[Chicago 'L'](/source/Chicago_'L') in the [Loop](/source/The_Loop_(Chicago_Transit_Authority))

[Metra](/source/Metra) surface rail

The [Eisenhower Expressway](/source/Eisenhower_Expressway) with the [Chicago Transit Authority](/source/Chicago_Transit_Authority) [Blue Line](/source/Blue_Line_(Chicago_Transit_Authority)) tracks and the non-revenue ramp that leads to the [Pink Line](/source/Pink_Line_(CTA))

Main articles: [Transportation in Chicago](/source/Transportation_in_Chicago) and [Roads and freeways in Chicago](/source/Roads_and_freeways_in_Chicago)

### Major airports

- [Chicago O'Hare International Airport](/source/Chicago_O'Hare_International_Airport) (ORD)

- [Chicago Midway International Airport](/source/Chicago_Midway_International_Airport) (MDW)

- [Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport](/source/Milwaukee_Mitchell_International_Airport) (MKE) (located in the adjacent [Milwaukee metropolitan area](/source/Milwaukee_metropolitan_area))

- [Chicago Rockford International Airport](/source/Chicago_Rockford_International_Airport) (RFD) (located in the adjacent [Rockford metropolitan area](/source/Rockford_metropolitan_area))

- [Gary/Chicago International Airport](/source/Gary%2FChicago_International_Airport) (GYY)

### Commercial ports

- [Port of Chicago](/source/Port_of_Chicago)

- [Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor](/source/Port_of_Indiana)

### Commercial freight

Chicago has been at the center of the United States' railroad network since the 19th century. Almost all [Class I railroads](/source/Class_I_railroads) serve the area, the most in North America.[48]

### Public Transit

The [Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)](/source/Regional_Transportation_Authority_(Illinois)) coordinates and supports the operation of three transit service boards serving Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, and McHenry Counties in Illinois, with one commuter rail line also serving Kenosha County, Wisconsin.[49]

- [Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)](/source/Chicago_Transit_Authority) operates the [Chicago "L"](/source/Chicago_%22L%22) rapid transit system and numerous bus routes in the City of Chicago and some surrounding suburbs.

- [Pace Suburban Bus](/source/Pace_(transit)) operates suburban bus and regional vanpool, paratransit, and ride-matching services in the Chicagoland region.

- [Metra](/source/Metra) operates commuter rail service between Chicago and numerous suburbs: - 4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County - 3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County - 2 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County - 1 line serving northern Cook County, Lake County, and Kenosha County - 1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County

The RTA will be replaced by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) in June 2026.[50]

The [South Shore Line](/source/South_Shore_Line), operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), is another commuter rail service that runs between Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, passing through the Indiana counties of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and St. Joseph.[51]

Several other public transit systems serve counties not within the RTA region such as [Kenosha Area Transit](/source/Kenosha_Area_Transit), [Kenosha streetcar](/source/Streetcars_in_Kenosha%2C_Wisconsin), [DeKalb Public Transit](/source/DeKalb_Public_Transit), [River Valley Metro MTD](/source/River_Valley_Metro_Mass_Transit_District), [SHOW BUS](/source/Show_Bus), [East Chicago Transit](/source/East_Chicago_Transit), [Gary Public Transportation Corporation](/source/Gary_Public_Transportation_Corporation), [V-Line](/source/V-Line), [ChicaGO Dash](/source/ChicaGo_Dash), and [Michigan City Transit.](/source/Michigan_City_Transit)[52]

### Passenger Rail

[Chicago Union Station](/source/Chicago_Union_Station) serves as the national and Midwest hub for [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak), the national passenger rail operator of the United States. The routes that serve Union Station include the *[Blue Water](/source/Blue_Water_(train))*, *[Borealis](/source/Borealis_(train))*, *[California Zephyr](/source/California_Zephyr)*, *[Cardinal](/source/Cardinal_(train))*, *[City of New Orleans](/source/City_of_New_Orleans_(train))*, *[Empire Builder](/source/Empire_Builder)*, *[Floridian](/source/Floridian_(train))*, *[Hiawatha Service](/source/Hiawatha_(Amtrak_train))*, *[Illini/Saluki](/source/Illini_and_Saluki)*, *[Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg](/source/Illinois_Zephyr_and_Carl_Sandburg)*, *[Lake Shore Limited](/source/Lake_Shore_Limited)*, *[Lincoln Service](/source/Lincoln_Service)*, *[Pere Marquette](/source/Pere_Marquette_(Amtrak_train))*, *[Southwest Chief](/source/Southwest_Chief)*, *[Texas Eagle](/source/Texas_Eagle)*, and *[Wolverine](/source/Wolverine_(train)).*[53] There are also other Amtrak stations in Chicagoland:

- [Glenview, IL](/source/Glenview_station) - *Hiawatha Service*, *Borealis*, and *Empire Builder*

- [Naperville, IL](/source/Naperville_station) - *Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg*, *California Zephyr*, and *Southwest Chief*

- [LaGrange, IL](/source/LaGrange_Road_station) - *Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg*

- [Summit, IL](/source/Summit_station_(Illinois)) - *Lincoln Service*

- [Joliet, IL](/source/Joliet_Gateway_Center) - *Lincoln Service* and *Texas Eagle*

- [Homewood, IL](/source/Homewood_station) - *Illini/Saluki* and *City of New Orleans*

- [Hammond-Whiting, IN](/source/Hammond%E2%80%93Whiting_station) - *Wolverine*

- [Dyer, IN](/source/Dyer_station) - *Cardinal*

### Major highways

#### Interstates

- [I-41](/source/Interstate_41) runs concurrently with I-94 from the northern terminus of the Tri-State Tollway to [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee).

- [I-55](/source/Interstate_55_in_Illinois) is the Adlai Stevenson Expressway.

- [I-57](/source/Interstate_57_in_Illinois) is unofficially the "West Leg" of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

- [I-65](/source/Interstate_65_in_Indiana) has no name, whether official or unofficial.

- [I-80](/source/Interstate_80_in_Illinois) is officially called the Borman Expressway (cosigned with I-94), Kingery Expressway (cosigned with I-94 for 3 miles), Tri-State Tollway (cosigned with I-294 for 4 miles) and is unofficially called the Moline Expressway west of I-294.

- [I-88](/source/Interstate_88_(Illinois)) is the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (formerly East-West Tollway)

- [I-90](/source/Interstate_90_in_Illinois) is locally known as Jane Addams Tollway (formerly Northwest Tollway), [John F. Kennedy Expressway](/source/Kennedy_Expressway) (cosigned with I-94), [Dan Ryan Expressway](/source/Dan_Ryan_Expressway) (cosigned with I-94), and Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge.

- [I-94](/source/Interstate_94_in_Illinois) is Tri-State Tollway in Lake County, Edens Spur, Edens Expy, John F. Kennedy Expy (cosigned with I-90), Dan Ryan Expy (cosigned with I-90), Bishop Ford Freeway (formerly Calumet Expressway), Kingery Expy (cosigned with I-80) and Borman Expy (cosigned with I-80).

- [I-190](/source/Interstate_190_(Illinois)) is the John F. Kennedy Expy spur heading into [Chicago-O'Hare Int'l Airport](/source/O'Hare_International_Airport).

- [I-290](/source/Interstate_290_(Illinois)) is the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway.

- [I-294](/source/Interstate_294) is the Tri-State Tollway.

- [I-355](/source/Interstate_355) is the Veterans Memorial Tollway (formerly North-South Tollway).

#### Other main highways

- US Routes in the Illinois part of the area include: [US 6](/source/U.S._Route_6_in_Illinois), [US 12](/source/U.S._Route_12_in_Illinois), [US 14](/source/U.S._Route_14_in_Illinois), [US 20](/source/U.S._Route_20_in_Illinois), [US 30](/source/U.S._Route_30_in_Illinois), [US 34](/source/U.S._Route_34_in_Illinois), [US 41](/source/U.S._Route_41_in_Illinois), [US 45](/source/U.S._Route_45_in_Illinois), and [US 52](/source/U.S._Route_52_in_Illinois).

- [Illinois Route 53](/source/Illinois_Route_53), an arterial north–south state highway running through Grundy, Will, DuPage, Cook and Lake counties

- [Historic US Route 66](/source/U.S._Route_66_in_Illinois)'s eastern terminus is in Chicago.

#### Major corridors

In addition to the [Chicago Loop](/source/Chicago_Loop), the metro area is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are:

- Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, along the [Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88)](/source/Interstate_88_(Illinois))

- Lakeshore Corridor, along the [Edens Expressway](/source/Edens_Expressway) and [Tri-State Tollway](/source/Tri-State_Tollway)

## Politics

The Chicagoland metro has long been a [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) stronghold due to the Democratic strength concentrated in [Cook County](/source/Cook_County%2C_Illinois), more specifically in the city of [Chicago](/source/Chicago%2C_Illinois) and its many diverse suburbs. The [Collar counties](/source/Collar_counties) that border Cook County have historically leaned towards the [Republican Party](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)), but in recent election cycles they have increasingly shifted to the left.

[McHenry County](/source/McHenry_County%2C_Illinois) is the reddest collar county, as it is the only county out of the five collar counties that has continued to routinely elect Republicans statewide, having voted for the Republican candidate for president in the last four out of five [United States presidential elections](/source/United_States_presidential_election).[54] [Dekalb County](/source/Dekalb_County%2C_Illinois), which is the westernmost county in the metro, is a Democratic leaning county, especially because of the demographically diverse city of [Dekalb](/source/Dekalb%2C_Illinois) being home to [NIU](/source/Northern_Illinois_University). [Kankakee County](/source/Kankakee_County%2C_Illinois) and [Grundy County](/source/Grundy_County%2C_Illinois), which are located to the south and southwest of [Will County](/source/Will_County%2C_Illinois) respectively, are the most Republican counties included in metro, particularly due to being more exurban and rural.

Chicagoland Presidential election results[55][56] Year Democratic Republican Third parties 2024 61.9% 2,325,189 36.5% 1,336,204 2.5% 93,943 2020 66.1% 2,691,170 32.1% 1,306,077 1.8% 72,586 2016 64.4% 2,400,444 29.5% 1,099,170 6.1% 226,879 2012 64.0% 2,139,672 34.6% 1,156,797 1.4% 48,478 2008 67.6% 2,460,746 31.1% 1,134,317 1.3% 47,069 2004 60.3% 2,055,714 39.0% 1,331,401 0.7% 23,076 2000 59.2% 1,789,820 38.1% 1,151,288 2.7% 83,554

**2000 Presidential Election by Township**

**2008 Presidential Election by Township**

**2012 Presidential Election by Township**

**2016 Presidential Election by Township**

**2020 Presidential Election by Township**

**2024 Presidential Election by Township**

## Culture

### Sports

Main article: [Sports in Chicago](/source/Sports_in_Chicago)

Listing of the professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area

**Major league professional teams:**

- [Major League Baseball (MLB)](/source/Major_League_Baseball) - [Chicago Cubs](/source/Chicago_Cubs) - [Chicago White Sox](/source/Chicago_White_Sox)

- [National Football League (NFL)](/source/National_Football_League_(NFL)) - [Chicago Bears](/source/Chicago_Bears)

- [National Basketball Association (NBA)](/source/National_Basketball_Association) - [Chicago Bulls](/source/Chicago_Bulls)

- [National Hockey League (NHL)](/source/National_Hockey_League_(NHL)) - [Chicago Blackhawks](/source/Chicago_Blackhawks)

- [Major League Soccer (MLS)](/source/Major_League_Soccer) - [Chicago Fire FC](/source/Chicago_Fire_FC)

- [Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)](/source/Women's_National_Basketball_Association) - [Chicago Sky](/source/Chicago_Sky)

- [National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)](/source/National_Women's_Soccer_League) - [Chicago Stars FC](/source/Chicago_Stars_FC)

**Other professional teams:**

- [American Association of Professional Baseball](/source/American_Association_of_Professional_Baseball) (AA) - [Chicago Dogs](/source/Chicago_Dogs) - [Kane County Cougars](/source/Kane_County_Cougars) - [Gary SouthShore RailCats](/source/Gary_SouthShore_RailCats)

- [American Hockey League (AHL)](/source/American_Hockey_League) - [Chicago Wolves](/source/Chicago_Wolves)

- [NBA G League (NBAGL)](/source/NBA_G_League) - [Windy City Bulls](/source/Windy_City_Bulls)

- [Major League Rugby (MLR)](/source/Major_League_Rugby) - [Chicago Hounds](/source/Chicago_Hounds_(rugby_union))

The [Chicagoland Speedway](/source/Chicagoland_Speedway) oval track has hosted [NASCAR Cup Series](/source/NASCAR_Cup_Series) and [IndyCar Series](/source/IndyCar_Series) races. The [Chicago Marathon](/source/Chicago_Marathon) is one of the [World Marathon Majors](/source/World_Marathon_Majors). The [Western Open](/source/Western_Open) and [BMW Championship](/source/BMW_Championship_(PGA_Tour)) are [PGA Tour](/source/PGA_Tour) tournaments that have been held primarily at golf courses near Chicago.

**NCAA Division I College Sports Teams:**

- [Atlantic 10 Conference](/source/Atlantic_10_Conference) - [Loyola University Chicago Ramblers](/source/Loyola_Ramblers)

- [Big East Conference](/source/Big_East_Conference) - [DePaul University Blue Demons](/source/DePaul_Blue_Demons)

- [Big Ten Conference](/source/Big_Ten_Conference) - [Northwestern University Wildcats](/source/Northwestern_Wildcats) ([Evanston](/source/Evanston%2C_Illinois))

- [Mid-American Conference](/source/Mid-American_Conference) - [Northern Illinois University Huskies](/source/Northern_Illinois_Huskies) ([DeKalb](/source/DeKalb%2C_Illinois))

- [Missouri Valley Conference](/source/Missouri_Valley_Conference) - [University of Illinois Chicago Flames](/source/UIC_Flames) - [Valparaiso University Beacons](/source/Valparaiso_Beacons) ([Valparaiso, IN](/source/Valparaiso%2C_IN))

- [Northeast Conference](/source/Northeast_Conference) - [Chicago State University Cougars](/source/Chicago_State_Cougars)

### Cuisine

Further information: [Chicago § Cuisine](/source/Chicago#Cuisine)

- [Chicago-style hot dog](/source/Chicago-style_hot_dog)

- [Chicago-style pizza](/source/Chicago-style_pizza)

- [Italian beef](/source/Italian_beef)

- [Caramel popcorn](/source/Caramel_popcorn)

### Media

Main article: [Media in Chicago](/source/Media_in_Chicago)

The two main newspapers are the *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)* and the *[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)*. Local television channels broadcasting to the Chicago market include [WBBM-TV](/source/WBBM-TV) 2 (CBS), [WMAQ-TV](/source/WMAQ-TV) 5 (NBC), [WLS-TV](/source/WLS-TV) 7 (ABC), [WGN-TV](/source/WGN-TV) 9 (CW), [WTTW](/source/WTTW) 11 (PBS), [MeTV](/source/MeTV) 23, [WCIU](/source/WCIU-TV) 26 (Ind), [WFLD](/source/WFLD) 32 (FOX), [WCPX-TV](/source/WCPX-TV) 38 ([Ion](/source/Ion_Television)), [WSNS-TV](/source/WSNS-TV) 44 (Telemundo), [WPWR-TV](/source/WPWR-TV) 50 (MyNetworkTV), and [WJYS-TV](/source/WJYS-TV) 62 (The Way). Radio stations serving the area include: [WBBM (AM)](/source/WBBM_(AM)), [WBEZ](/source/WBEZ), [WGN (AM)](/source/WGN_(AM)), [WMBI](/source/WMBI-FM), [WLS (AM)](/source/WLS_(AM)), and [WSCR](/source/WSCR).

## Education

Further information: [List of school districts in Illinois](/source/List_of_school_districts_in_Illinois), [List of school districts in Indiana](/source/List_of_school_districts_in_Indiana), and [List of colleges and universities in Chicago](/source/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_Chicago)

[Whitney M. Young Magnet High School](/source/Whitney_M._Young_Magnet_High_School) in Chicago

Elementary and secondary education within the Chicago metropolitan area is provided by dozens of different school districts, of which by far the largest is the [Chicago Public Schools](/source/Chicago_Public_Schools) with 400,000 students.[57] Numerous private and religious school systems are also found in the region, as well as a growing number of [charter schools](/source/Charter_school). Racial inequalities in education in the region remain widespread, often breaking along district boundaries;[58] for instance, educational prospects vary widely for students in the Chicago Public Schools compared to those in some neighboring suburban schools.[59]

Historically, the Chicago metropolitan area has been at the center of a number of national educational movements, from the free-flowing [Winnetka Plan](/source/Winnetka_Plan) to the regimented [Taylorism](/source/Taylorism) of the [Gary Plan](/source/Gary_Plan).[60] In higher education, [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago) founder [William Rainey Harper](/source/William_Rainey_Harper) was a leading early advocate of the [junior college](/source/Junior_college) movement; [Joliet Junior College](/source/Joliet_Junior_College) is the nation's oldest continuously operating junior college today.[61] Later U of C president [Robert Maynard Hutchins](/source/Robert_Maynard_Hutchins) was central to the [Great Books](/source/Great_Books) movement, and programs of [dialogic education](/source/Dialogic_education) arising from that legacy can be found today at the U of C, at [Shimer College](/source/Shimer_College),[62] and in the [City Colleges of Chicago](/source/City_Colleges_of_Chicago) and [Oakton College](/source/Oakton_College) in the Northwest suburbs.[63]

## Area codes

Main article: [List of Illinois area codes](/source/List_of_Illinois_area_codes)

From 1947 until 1988, the Illinois portion of the Chicago metro area was served by a single [area code](/source/North_American_Numbering_Plan), 312, which abutted the 815 area code. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago.

It became common to call suburbanites "708'ers", in reference to their area code.

The 708 area code was partitioned in 1996 into three area codes, serving different portions of the metro area: 630, 708, and 847.

At the same time that the 708 area code was running out of phone numbers, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city of Chicago was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north–south area code, the central business district retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code.

In 2002, the 847 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 224. In February 2007, the 815 area code (serving outlying portions of the metro area) was supplemented with the overlay area code 779. In October 2007, the overlay area code 331 was implemented to supplement the 630 area with additional numbers.

Plans are in place for overlay codes in the 708, 773, and 312 regions as those area codes become exhausted in the future.

- [312](/source/Area_code_312) Chicago - City (The [Loop](/source/Chicago_Loop) and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side)

- [773](/source/Area_code_773) Chicago - City (Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area)

- 872 Chicago - City (overlay for 312 & 773, effective November 7, 2009)

- [847/224](/source/847%2F224) (North and Northwest Suburbs)

- [630/331](/source/Area_codes_630_and_331) (Outer Western Suburbs)

- [708](/source/Area_code_708) (South and Near West Suburbs)

- [815/779](/source/Area_codes_815_and_779) ([Rockford](/source/Rockford%2C_Illinois) & Joliet: Far Northwest/Southwest Suburbs)

- [219](/source/Area_code_219) (Northwest Indiana)

- [574](/source/Area_code_574) (North-central Indiana)

- [262](/source/Area_code_262) (Southeast Wisconsin surrounding [Milwaukee County](/source/Milwaukee_County))

### Proposed overlays

- 464 overlay for 708 (January 21, 2022, rollout)

## See also

- [Index of Illinois-related articles](/source/Index_of_Illinois-related_articles)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-1,190_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-1,190_1-1) ["Elevations of the 50 Largest Cities"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131109183109/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#50). U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from [the original](https://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#50) on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2016. Chicago city proper only

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** Brat, Ilan (November 8, 2006). ["Tale of a Warehouse Shows How Chicago Weathers a Decline"](https://www.wsj.com/google_login.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB116295128088216565.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsj%26cid%3D0%26ei%3DhRBlRei1AsqmHc7JsZEN). *The Wall Street Journal*. p. A1. Retrieved February 20, 2010.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** ["Regional Transportation Authority | Accessible transit over six counties"](https://www.rtachicago.org/region). *Regional Transportation Authority*. Retrieved March 27, 2026.

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## Further reading

- Fischer, Paul B. (July 28, 1993). *[Racial and Locational Patterns of Subsidized Housing in the Chicago Suburbs: A Report to the MacArthur Foundation](http://www.hcp-chicago.org/2014/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Racial-and-Locational-Patterns-of-Subsidized-Housing-in-the-Chicago-Suburbs.pdf)* ([Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20140228083724/http://www.hcp-chicago.org/2014/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Racial-and-Locational-Patterns-of-Subsidized-Housing-in-the-Chicago-Suburbs.pdf)). Lake Forest, Ill.: [Lake Forest College](/source/Lake_Forest_College). Report to the [MacArthur Foundation](/source/MacArthur_Foundation).

- Lewinnek, Elaine (2014). *The Working Man's Reward: Chicago's Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl*. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

## External links

**Chicago metropolitan area**  at Wikipedia's [sister projects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikimedia_sister_projects)

- [Definitions](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chicagoland) from Wiktionary
- [Media](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/category:Chicago_metropolitan_area) from Commons
- [Travel information](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Chicagoland) from Wikivoyage
- [Data](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1754965) from Wikidata

- [*Encyclopedia of Chicago* (2004)](http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/700005.html?entryA), comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present

- [U.S. Census Urbanized Area Outline Map (2000)](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/urbanarea/uaoutline/UA2000/ua16264/ua16264_00.pdf)

- [Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area (2012) map](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/econ/ec2012/csa/EC2012_330M200US176M.pdf)

- [Illinois CBSAs and Counties (2013) map](https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/stcbsa_pg/Feb2013/cbsa2013_IL.pdf)

- [U.S. Census Bureau Chicago city, Illinois QuickFacts](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/chicagocityillinois)

- [Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro.html)

- [About Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/about.html)

- [History of Metropolitan Areas](https://www.census.gov/history/www/programs/geography/metropolitan_areas.html)

- [Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010–2019](https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html)

v t e Chicago metropolitan area Major city Chicago Cities (over 30,000 in 2020) Aurora Berwyn Calumet City Crown Point Crystal Lake DeKalb Des Plaines Elgin Elmhurst Evanston Gary Hammond Highland Park Joliet Kenosha Naperville North Chicago Park Ridge Portage St. Charles Valparaiso Waukegan Wheaton Towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2020) Addison Arlington Heights Bartlett Bolingbrook Buffalo Grove Carol Stream Carpentersville Cicero Downers Grove Elk Grove Village Glendale Heights Glenview Grayslake Gurnee Hanover Park Hoffman Estates Lombard Merrillville Mount Prospect Mundelein Niles Northbrook Oak Lawn Oak Park Orland Park Oswego Palatine Plainfield Romeoville Schaumburg Skokie Streamwood Tinley Park Wheeling Wonder Lake Woodridge Counties Cook DeKalb DuPage Grundy Jasper Kane Kankakee Kendall Kenosha Lake, Illinois Lake, Indiana McHenry Newton Porter Will Regions Great Lakes Northern Illinois Northern Indiana Sub-regions Chicago Southland Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox Valley (Illinois River) North Shore (Chicago) Northwest Indiana Illinois, United States

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area Milwaukee metropolitan area Twin Cities metropolitan area Largest cities (pop. over 50,000) Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay Janesville Kenosha La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Racine Waukesha West Allis Smaller cities (pop. 15,000 to 50,000) Beaver Dam Beloit Brookfield Cudahy De Pere Fitchburg Fond du Lac Franklin Greenfield Hartford Hudson Kaukauna Manitowoc Marshfield Menasha Menomonie Mequon Middleton Muskego Neenah New Berlin Oak Creek Oconomowoc Onalaska River Falls Sheboygan South Milwaukee Stevens Point Sun Prairie Superior Watertown Wausau Wauwatosa West Bend Wisconsin Rapids Largest villages (pop. over 15,000) Ashwaubenon Bellevue Caledonia Fox Crossing Germantown Howard Menomonee Falls Mount Pleasant Pleasant Prairie Counties Adams Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Door Douglas Dunn Eau Claire Florence Fond du Lac Forest Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Iron Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marinette Marquette Menominee Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Portage Price Racine Richland Rock Rusk Sauk Sawyer Shawano Sheboygan St. Croix Taylor Trempealeau Vernon Vilas Walworth Washburn Washington Waukesha Waupaca Waushara Winnebago Wood Wisconsin portal v t e World's 50 most-populous urban areas Tokyo Jakarta Delhi Guangzhou–Foshan Mumbai Manila Shanghai Seoul Cairo Mexico City Kolkata São Paulo New York Karachi Dhaka Bangkok Beijing Moscow Shenzhen Buenos Aires Los Angeles Johannesburg–Pretoria Bengaluru Chengdu Ho Chi Minh City Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto Lagos Istanbul Lahore Kinshasa–Brazzaville Tehran Chongqing Rio de Janeiro Xi'an Chennai Paris Zhengzhou Luanda London Dongguan Lima Wuhan Bogotá Tianjin Hangzhou Hyderabad Bandung Taipei Nagoya Surabaya v t e Great Lakes megalopolis as defined by the RPA Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census. Great Lakes region cities Brantford Buffalo–Niagara Falls Buffalo Niagara Falls Chicago city Cleveland city Detroit city Erie city Grand Rapids city Guelph Green Bay city Hamilton Holland Kalamazoo city Kenosha Lansing city London Milwaukee city Muskegon Niagara Region St. Catharines Niagara Falls Welland Niles Oshawa Rochester, New York city South Bend city Toledo city Toronto city Traverse City city Waterloo Region Kitchener Cambridge Waterloo Windsor Surrounding cities Akron city Altoona Ann Arbor Barrie Bloomington, Indiana city Bloomington–Normal Bloomington, Illinois Normal Canton city Champaign city Cincinnati city Columbus city Dayton city Eau Claire city Elkhart Flint Fort Wayne city Fox Cities Appleton Oshkosh Indianapolis city Jackson Janesville–Beloit Kankakee city La Crosse–Onalaska La Crosse Onalaska Lafayette city Madison city Mahoning Valley Youngstown Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis Saint Paul Pittsburgh city Peoria city Peterborough Rockford city Rochester, Minnesota city St. Cloud city Saginaw city Springfield city Terre Haute city Quad Cities Bettendorf Davenport East Moline Moline Rock Island Cities of states south of region Elizabethtown city Kansas City city Louisville city St. Louis city Topeka city Other metro-regions Quebec City–Windsor Corridor Golden Horseshoe Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Detroit–Windsor Greater Pittsburgh Metro East Other megaregions

[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [Chicago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Chicago)
- [Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Illinois)
- [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:United_States)

Authority control databases International VIAF GND FAST National United States Israel Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chicago metropolitan area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_metropolitan_area) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_metropolitan_area?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.