Insight
Chicago, IL: 51,600 residents of Indian descent, up 23% in five years
Chicago has about 51,600 residents of Asian Indian descent, up 23% in five years. Our database places 776 people in the city at $1M+, 197 of them at $5M+.
Chicago has about 51,600 residents of Asian Indian descent, up 23% from about 42,000 in the 2015–2019 survey [1][2]. In a city of about 2.7 million, that is 1.9% of the population [1][3].
Our database places 776 people in Chicago at an estimated $1M+, 197 of them in our $5M+ bands [6].
- 51,572 residents of Asian Indian descent (alone or in combination) in Chicago, Illinois, 2020–2024 average [1], or 1.9% of the population [3].
- +22.7% versus the 2015–2019 estimate of 42,038 [1][2] (our calculation).
- 776 people in the HeyAlbert database placed in Chicago, Illinois at an estimated $1M+, of whom 197 are in our $5M+ bands [6].
How Chicago compares with nearby places
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 51,572 people who report Asian Indian ancestry, alone or with another group, in Chicago [1], against 42,038 in 2015–2019 [2]. The table compares it with the places in Cook County that have the largest Asian Indian communities. Figures are for whole places, and some places extend into neighboring counties [1][2][4].
| Place | 2020–2024 | 2015–2019 | Change | Share of place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 51,572 | 42,038 | 23% | 1.9% |
| Schaumburg | 10,156 | 11,118 | -9% | 13.2% |
| Buffalo Grove | 7,666 | 4,143 | 85% | 17.9% |
| Hoffman Estates | 6,423 | 6,319 | 2% | 12.6% |
| Des Plaines | 4,521 | 4,475 | 1% | 7.6% |
| Skokie | 3,959 | 5,312 | -25% | 6.0% |
| Mount Prospect | 3,951 | 3,700 | 7% | 7.1% |
| Bartlett | 3,683 | 3,577 | 3% | 9.1% |
Asian Indian alone or in any combination. Sources: ACS 5-year estimates [1][2][4]; totals from Table B01003. Change and share are our calculations. Estimates carry margins of error.
Chicago's community is five times the size of the next-largest in Cook County, Schaumburg's 10,200 [1][2][4]. Buffalo Grove has about 7,700 and Hoffman Estates about 6,400 [1][2][4]. Several of these suburbs extend into neighboring counties, and the figures are for whole places [1][2][4].
The most concentrated communities
Raw counts favor big cities. Ranking places of 20,000+ residents by the share who report Asian Indian ancestry gives a different map [1][2][3][4][5]:
| Place | Asian Indian residents | Total population | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Grove | 7,666 | 42,891 | 17.9% |
| Schaumburg | 10,156 | 76,868 | 13.2% |
| Hoffman Estates | 6,423 | 51,175 | 12.6% |
| Bartlett | 3,683 | 40,501 | 9.1% |
| Des Plaines | 4,521 | 59,156 | 7.6% |
| Mount Prospect | 3,951 | 55,472 | 7.1% |
| Skokie | 3,959 | 66,219 | 6.0% |
| Chicago | 51,572 | 2,711,226 | 1.9% |
Places with 20,000+ residents and at least 1,000 Asian Indian residents. CDP = census-designated place. Sources: ACS 2020–2024 5-year, Tables B02018 and B01003 [1][2][3][4][5]; shares are our calculation.
What the HeyAlbert database shows in Chicago, Illinois
HeyAlbert builds profiles of Indian-American individuals with an estimated net worth of $1M or more from public records, and every estimate is tied to a cited source. Our database currently places 776 such people in Chicago, Illinois [6]. That is a count of people we have found and estimated, not a census of wealthy households: our coverage is partial and uneven.
| Estimated net-worth band | People in our database |
|---|---|
| $5M+ | 197 |
| $1M–5M | 579 |
| Total, $1M+ | 776 |
Source: HeyAlbert database [6]. Bands are estimates from public evidence; $5M+ combines our $5–15M and $25M+ tiers. Cells under 25 are suppressed.
| City | $1M+ | of which $5M+ |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 776 | 197 |
Source: HeyAlbert database [6]. Cities with 25+ people at $1M+; cells under 25 shown as <25. The city is where our sources place the person; for some records it is a workplace rather than a home. Our records are matched on the city name Chicago; the Census figures are for the whole place.
Of the 776 people in our Chicago set, 579 are in the $1M–5M band and 197 in our $5M+ bands [6]. 32 people in the set have at least one public giving signal, such as a named gift or a charity board role [6].
Why our Chicago, Illinois count looks the way it does
Each estimate in our database rests on a primary piece of public evidence. The mix differs from place to place, depending on which records we have been able to process, and it shapes the counts above more than any real difference in wealth does [6].
| Primary evidence for the estimate | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Home value (public assessor or listing records) | 562 | 72% |
| Other public signals (executive roles, company filings, gifts, pay) | 213 | 27% |
Source: HeyAlbert database [6], people at $1M+. Categories under 25 not shown.
Home values support 562 of our 776 estimates and other public signals 213 [6].
What it means if you work with these families
For advisors and nonprofits, the city of Chicago has a growing community and a sizable $5M+ group in our data [1][2][6]. Our Cook County, DuPage County and Chicago metro posts, and our Naperville and Oak Brook posts, cover the region.
Methodology
Census figures are American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024 and 2015–2019, Table B02018, using “Asian Indian, alone or in any combination” [1][2]. Total population comes from Table B01003 [3]. The Census Bureau changed how it codes detailed race responses in 2020, so part of the change between the two periods may reflect coding rather than migration. All estimates carry margins of error. Shares and growth rates are our calculations.
HeyAlbert counts are aggregates from our database as of November 1, 2026 [6]. They include people we identified as likely of Indian origin with an estimated net worth of $1M or more, based on public records such as property assessments, professional licenses, patents, SEC filings and donor rolls. Coverage is partial and depends on which public records exist and which we have processed. These counts are not population totals. Any cell under 25 is suppressed, and we publish aggregates only, never individual records.
Related
- Indian-American wealth in Cook County: Chicago and the northwest suburbs
- Indian-American wealth in DuPage County: Naperville's community, Oak Brook's wealth
- Indian-American wealth in the Chicago metro: collar counties gain, Cook holds steady
- Naperville, IL: 21,000 residents of Indian descent, 118 in our $1M+ set
HeyAlbert finds Indian-American families worth $1M+ and tells you who to call, with every fact cited. See who is in Chicago, Illinois at heyalbert.site.
Sources
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, places in Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=040XX00US17$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, Table B02018, places in Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2019.B02018?g=040XX00US17$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003 (total population), places in Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=040XX00US17$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, places in Cook County, Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US17031$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, places in Cook County, Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US17031$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- HeyAlbert database, aggregate counts (snapshot as of November 1, 2026); how we build it is described on our methodology page. HeyAlbert. https://heyalbert.site/research/methodology/
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