Wheeling, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wheeling, 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 | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35,608 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4078.7 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.01% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,826 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wheeling grew by 8.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 35,608 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wheeling is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.9% of residents. That is 3.0 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,553 18.4% -2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,869 24.9% +3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,279 20.4% on par
- Boomers 61–79 5,843 16.4% -0.5 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 49.9% of the people living in Wheeling and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.1% Illinois 49.4%
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Economy
Wheeling has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,844 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wheeling is about 3% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $229,587 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,672 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.1% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wheeling is about 11.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,672 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wheeling spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.4 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.7 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,778 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.9% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,059 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,093 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Wheeling is 22 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.
Education & Households
Wheeling has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37.3% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Wheeling has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Wheeling | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.5 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.8% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 12.7% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Wheeling, IL Compared With Nearby Cities
How Wheeling, IL compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling, IL | 35,608 | $86,844 #3/3 | $229,587 #2/3 | 22.4 min #1/3 |
| Buffalo Grove, IL | 36,064 | $132,647 | $217,650 | 23.3 min |
| Mount Prospect, IL | 54,782 | $100,972 | $360,128 | 22.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wheeling, Illinois.
How big is Wheeling, Illinois by population?
About 35,608 people live in Wheeling, Illinois, in 13,826 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Wheeling, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wheeling, Illinois has 4,079 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 47 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Wheeling, Illinois?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($229,587 against $86,844), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,672 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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