The Top 6 Wealthiest Counties in Illinois (and Who Lives There)

Home to the Windy City of Chicago, numerous iconic sports teams such as the Cubs MLB team, and miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, Illinois is anything but Midwestern flyover country. From downtown Chicago penthouses in staggeringly tall skyscrapers to historic mansions built by famous architects, Illinois has amazing houses that are home to some of the wealthiest people in the United States. This article covers the top wealthiest counties in Illinois, ranked according to per capita income. As we learn about each of these wealthiest counties in Illinois, we will also discover some of the most notable people to have lived there. Let’s go!

About this Analysis

This ranking of the top wealthiest counties in Illinois lists each according to their per capita income, based on an analysis by a tech company called SmartAsset. SmartAsset’s analysis calculates the wealthiest counties in Illinois (and in the U.S.) by looking at a combination of median income, investment income, and median home value. Together, these factors contribute to an “overall wealth index” used to rank each county. 

6. Cook County

Sixth on the list of the top six wealthiest counties in Illinois is the one home to the City of Chicago itself: Cook County. With a median income of $72,121, Cook County residents’ incomes are just under the State of Illinois’ median income of $72,563. The county’s investment income, meanwhile, is significantly larger, at $80,782 compared to the State of Illinois’ $21,770. The median home value in Cook County is $284,464.

Since Cook County is home to Chicago, where numerous notable people have lived or currently reside, no list of famous Cook County residents can be complete. However, here are the names of a few of the notable people from Cook County, Illinois: social worker Jane Addams, community organizer Saul Alinsky, novelist Ray Bradbury, architect Daniel Burnham, mobster Al Capone, model Cindy Crawford, economist Milton Friedman, radio host Ira Glass, former president Barack Obama, political philosopher Leo Strauss, television personality Oprah Winfrey, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 

5. Kane County

Fifth on the list of the top wealthiest counties in Illinois is also in Northern Illinois: Kane County. Kane County is home to the county seat of Aurora, the second-largest city in the state. Located about an hour southwest of Chicago, Kane County’s median income is $88,935, over $12,000 more than the median income for the whole state. Additionally, Kane County’s investment income of $29,424 well surpasses the average of the state. The median home value is $316,163.

Some of the well-known people from Aurora, Illinois, the biggest city in Kane County, are: novelist Clive Cussler, longtime Chicago anchorman John Drury, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Vernon Louis Parrington, and former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling. 

4. Will County

Fourth on the list is Will County, another county in Northern Illinois located to the southwest of Chicago with the county seat of Joliet. Will County’s median income is $95,751, making its median resident more than $20,000 wealthier than the median resident of Illinois. The investment income of Will County residents, however, is just slightly higher than the $21,770 of all of Illinois. The median home value in Will County is $306,049.

Well-known Will County residents have included the actor and producer Nick Offerman, actor and comedian Melissa McCarthy, serial killer Milton Johnson, award-winning singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ drummer and songwriter Jimmy Chamberlin.

3. Kendall County

Kendall County, Illinois is another Northern Illinois county in the western suburbs of Chicago. Its county seat is Yorkville, though the most populous municipality is Oswego. In Kendall County, the median income is $101,816, significantly higher than that of the wider state. However, this one is not as high in the rankings as it could be because the county’s investment income only comes to $13,829 – much lower than the state as a whole. The median home value in Kendall County is $321,161.

Well-known Kendall County current or past residents include lawyer and politician Washington Bushnell, steamboat captain James Carroll, politician Jed Davis, and baseball player John Dwyer. 

2. Lake County

Sitting on the border that Illinois shares with its northern neighbor of Wisconsin, Lake County is the second in the list of wealthiest counties in Illinois. There, the median income is $97,172, significantly higher than that of the state as a whole. Though the median income is slightly lower than Kendall County (which is third on the list), the county’s investment income is also much higher – at $84,289 compared to Kendall County’s $13,829 and the state’s $21,770. The median home value in Lake County is $320,341.

Some of the most famous current or past residents of Lake County include singer Chaka Khan, football coach Rex Ryan, former governor of Illinois William Stratton, and writer Dave Eggers. 

1. DuPage County

At the top of the list of wealthiest counties in Illinois is the suburban county west of Chicago: DuPage County. DuPage County’s median income is $100,292, the investment income is $47,000, and the median home value is $359,501. 

The list of current or past famous residents of DuPage County includes Chicago Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick, The Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, evangelical missionary Jim Elliot, Christian evangelist Billy Graham, boxer Mike Lee, singer and songwriter Andrew Belle, former mayor of Chicago Joseph Medill, advocate Eboo Patel, artist Laura Anderson, and many others.