Des Plaines, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Des Plaines, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 61,932 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4305.5 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.00% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.7 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,832 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Des Plaines grew by 6.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 61,932 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Des Plaines is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.1% of residents. That is 1.2 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,993 17.8% -3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,283 23.1% +1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 12,756 20.6% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 11,593 18.7% +1.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.3% of the people living in Des Plaines and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 48.7% Illinois 49.4%
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Economy
Des Plaines has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,817 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.93% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Des Plaines is about 10% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $169,438 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,520 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.4% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Des Plaines is about 9.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,520 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Des Plaines spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 219 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.3 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.7 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 219 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,802 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.6% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,965 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,399 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Des Plaines is 26 minutes, longer than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Des Plaines has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.7% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Des Plaines has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Des Plaines | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.8% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.2% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Des Plaines, IL Compared With Nearby Cities
How Des Plaines, IL compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Plaines, IL | 61,932 | $92,817 #3/3 | $169,438 #3/3 | 26.3 min #2/3 |
| Mount Prospect, IL | 54,782 | $100,972 | $360,128 | 22.8 min |
| Park Ridge, IL | 37,584 | $145,996 | $614,769 | 26.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Des Plaines, Illinois.
How many people live in Des Plaines, Illinois?
About 61,932 people live in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 23,832 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Des Plaines, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Des Plaines, Illinois has 4,306 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 50 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Des Plaines, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($169,438 against $92,817), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,520 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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