Northbrook, Illinois Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Northbrook, 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.

  • A+
    Health Top grade
  • A+
    Income Top grade
  • A+
    Education Top grade

Source: Map AI Methodology

Population

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Population 32,185 12,692,444 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 2417.5 219.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.22% -0.16% 0.59%
Median age 46.4 37.4 37.3
Households 12,442 5,035,584 130,235,071

Population in Northbrook grew by 1.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,185 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Northbrook

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Northbrook is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 24.2% of residents. That is 3.8 points above Illinois as a whole.

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 51.5% of the people living in Northbrook and men 48.5%.

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Economy

Northbrook has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $153,635 $84,042 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.59% 4.46% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.1% 5.8% 5.2%

The median household income in Northbrook is about 83% higher than in Illinois.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $764,513 $149,936 $248,835
Median rent $2,507 $1,274 $1,407
Homeownership rate 84.4% 67.1% 65.2%

The median home price in Northbrook is about 25.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,507 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Northbrook spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 191 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 22.9 23.6 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 45.8 47.3 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 191 197 187
Estimated yearly cost $5,915 $6,104 $5,790
Work from home 30.9% 15.9% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 18,990 7,977 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 3,037 1,547 1,355

The average commute time in Northbrook is 23 minutes, shorter 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Northbrook has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 69.3% 34.1% 31.6%
Average household size 2.55 2.46 2.53

Health

Northbrook has a health index of A+, which means it is exceptionally healthy.

Metric Northbrook Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 84.3 77.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 8.3% 15.6% 16.3%
Smokers 7.6% 19.2% 19.0%

Full health data →

Northbrook, IL Compared With Nearby Cities

How Northbrook, IL compares with the 2 cities closest to it.

Area Population Median household income Median home price Commute
Northbrook, IL 32,185 $153,635 #2/3 $764,513 #1/3 22.9 min #2/3
Glenview, IL 47,742 $133,416 $728,638 23.7 min
Highland Park, IL 26,861 $181,844 $337,081 22.6 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Northbrook, Illinois.

What is the population of Northbrook, Illinois?

About 32,185 people live in Northbrook, Illinois, in 12,442 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 46.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.

Is Northbrook, Illinois mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Northbrook, Illinois has 2,418 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 28 times the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Northbrook, Illinois?

The median home costs 5.0 times the median household income ($764,513 against $153,635), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,507 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Northbrook, Illinois?

Unemployment in Northbrook, Illinois is only 3.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

How educated are people in Northbrook, Illinois?

69.3% of adults in Northbrook, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 7 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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