Western Springs is a medium-sized village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 13,529 people and three associated neighborhoods, Western Springs is the 179th largest community in Illinois. Western Springs home prices are not only among the most expensive in Illinois, but Western Springs real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.Western Springs is a decidedly white-collar village, with fully 95.62% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Western Springs is a village of managers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Western Springs who work in management occupations (22.71%), business and financial occupations (16.81%), and sales jobs (12.97%). One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.83% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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, Western Springs is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums. Western Springs 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, Western Springs’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family. One downside of living in Western Springs is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Western Springs, the average commute to work is 31.27 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the village, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. Even though Western Springs is a smaller village, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the train for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.If knowledge is power, Western Springs is a pretty powerful place. 82.04% of the adults in Western Springs 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 Western Springs in 2022 was $99,823, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $399,292 for a family of four. The people who call Western Springs home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Western Springs residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Western Springs include Irish, German, Italian, Polish, and English. The most common language spoken in Western Springs is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Greek.
