Census ACS · #3 MSA
Chicago Metro Area
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Il-In Metropolitan Statistical Area has 9,359,555 residents across 2 states. The median household income is $88,850 and the median home value is $301,900.
9,359,555
Population
1352
People / sq mi
$88,850
Median Income
$301,900
Median Home Value
The Chicago CBSA covers 6,923 sq mi of land at 1351.9 people per square mile.
Race & Ethnicity
| White | 55.7% |
| Black or African American | 16.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.6% |
Economy & Income
$88,850
Median Household Income
$48,107
Per Capita Income
8.0%
Poverty Rate
4.0%
Unemployment
Cost of Living
The Chicago metro's price level is 103.6 on the BEA Regional Price Parity index (US average = 100), meaning prices are 3.6% higher the US average. The local median income of $88,850 has the buying power of $85,767 in average-priced US metros.
103.6
Price Level (US = 100)
$85,767
COL-Adjusted Median Income
$88,850
Nominal Median Income
Housing
$301,900
Median Home Value
$1,378
Median Rent
65.3%
Homeownership
Education
89.7%
High School+
40.9%
Bachelor's+
Commute
8.2%
Drive Alone
15.6%
Work From Home
30.7 min
Avg Commute
17.2%
Foreign Born
Chicago spans these states
Nearby metros
Largest cities in Illinois
Largest counties in Illinois
Part of Illinois
Other metros
Metro areas in Illinois
Metro rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Il-In Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 9,359,555 according to Census ACS 5-Year estimates, making it the #3 largest CBSA in the US.
The median household income in the Chicago metro area is $88,850, with a per capita income of $48,107.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Il-In CBSA spans 2 states: Illinois, Indiana.
More from Illinois
Data for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Il-In CBSA (16980) from the American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Core-Based Statistical Areas combine cities, suburbs, and surrounding counties tied together by commuting patterns.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.