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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Wilmette, IL
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Wilmette profile


Living in Wilmette



Wilmette is a medium-sized village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 27,264 people and six constituent neighborhoods, Wilmette is the 73rd largest community in Illinois.

Wilmette home prices are not only among the most expensive in Illinois, but Wilmette real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Wilmette has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Wilmette is also a village of artists. Wilmette has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Wilmette’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Wilmette telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 24.55% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Wilmette is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Wilmette is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The village’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Wilmette’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

In Wilmette, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 33.94 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the village are by private automobile, Wilmette is somewhat unusual for a village of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Wilmette area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Wilmette is a pretty powerful place. 83.78% of the adults in Wilmette have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Wilmette in 2018 was $97,355, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $389,420 for a family of four.

Wilmette is a somewhat ethnically-diverse village. The people who call Wilmette home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wilmette residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Wilmette include German, Irish, English, Polish, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Wilmette is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.