Indian-American wealth in Cook County: Chicago and the northwest suburbs

Cook County has about 131,200 residents of Asian Indian descent, the largest Indian-American county in the Midwest by a wide margin, but its growth has slowed to about 4% between the two survey periods [1][2] (our ranking of counties). The community is split between the city of Chicago and a ring of northwest suburbs.

Our database shows the county's wealth concentrated in the city and the North Shore rather than in the suburbs where most Indian-American families live.

• 131,183 residents of Asian Indian descent (alone or in combination) in Cook County, Illinois, 2020–2024 average [1], or 2.5% of the population [3].
• +3.6% versus the 2015–2019 estimate of 126,573 [1][2] (our calculation).
• 1,634 people in the HeyAlbert database placed in Cook County, Illinois at an estimated $1M+, of whom 353 are in our $5M+ bands [8].

Where Cook County, Illinois's Indian-American residents live, by place

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 131,183 people who report Asian Indian ancestry, alone or with another group, in Cook County, Illinois [1]. Chicago is the largest community, with 39% of the county total [4]–[7] (our calculation).

Place	Asian Indian residents	Share of place
Chicago	51,572	1.9%
Schaumburg	10,156	13.2%
Buffalo Grove	7,666	17.9%
Hoffman Estates	6,423	12.6%
Des Plaines	4,521	7.6%
Skokie	3,959	6.0%
Mount Prospect	3,951	7.1%
Bartlett	3,683	9.1%
Hanover Park	3,521	9.6%
Palatine	3,434	5.2%

Asian Indian alone or in any combination. Sources: ACS 5-year estimates [4]–[7]; totals from Table B01003. Change and share are our calculations. Estimates carry margins of error.

Chicago has about 51,600 residents of Asian Indian descent, about 2% of the city [4]–[7]. The northwest suburbs are far more concentrated: Buffalo Grove (about 18%), Schaumburg (13%) and Hoffman Estates (13%) [4]–[7]. Des Plaines, Skokie and Mount Prospect follow [4]–[7].

What the HeyAlbert database shows in Cook County, 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 1,634 such people in Cook County, Illinois [8]. 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
$1M–5M	1,281
$5M–15M	258
$25M+ (probable)	41
$25M+ (likely)	54
Total, $1M+	1,634

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Bands are estimates from public evidence; “likely” and “probable” describe our confidence in the $25M+ tier. Cells under 25 are suppressed.

City	$1M+	of which $5M+	of which $25M+
Chicago	744	197	64
South Barrington	136	<25	<25
Glenview	104	<25	<25
Oak Brook	93	<25	<25
Northbrook	81	<25	<25
Wilmette	50	<25	<25
Hinsdale	43	<25	<25
Schaumburg	41	<25	<25
Burr Ridge	35	<25	<25
Winnetka	33	<25	<25

Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. 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. Cities in our database are matched by name to the Census places and townships in the county; a few that straddle a county line are counted whole, and large cities that extend well beyond the county are left out.

Our database places 1,634 people in Cook County at $1M+, with 353 at $5M+ and 95 at $25M+ [8]. Chicago accounts for 744 of them, including 197 at $5M+ and 64 at $25M+ [8]. South Barrington (136), Glenview (104), Northbrook, Wilmette and Winnetka hold most of the rest, while Schaumburg, the most concentrated large suburb by population, has 41 [8]. Oak Brook, Hinsdale and Burr Ridge straddle the DuPage line and are counted whole.

Why our Cook County, 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 [8].

Primary evidence for the estimate	People	Share
Home value (public assessor or listing records)	1,255	77%
Other public signals (executive roles, company filings, gifts, pay)	378	23%

Source: HeyAlbert database [8], people at $1M+. Categories under 25 not shown.

About 77% of our Cook County estimates rest on home values [8]. The city's executives, physicians and business owners make up much of the rest.

What it means if you work with these families

Cook County splits into three markets: the city's professional and executive tier, the North Shore and South Barrington estate communities, and the northwest suburbs where many middle- and upper-middle-income families live. The last group is large and under-served by wealth-focused firms.

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 October 2026 [8]. 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 the Chicago metro
• Indian-American wealth in Illinois
• How large and affluent is the Indian American community in the Chicago area?
• How many businesses do Indian Americans own, and how big are they?

HeyAlbert finds Indian-American families worth $1M+ and tells you who to call, with every fact cited. See who is in Cook County, Illinois at heyalbert.site.

Sources

1. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
2. ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2019.B02018?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
3. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, all counties. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=010XX00US$0500000 (data: machine-readable)
4. 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)
5. 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)
6. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018, county subdivisions in Cook County, Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=050XX00US17031$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
7. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, county subdivisions in Cook County, Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=050XX00US17031$0600000 (data: machine-readable)
8. HeyAlbert database, aggregate counts (October 2026 snapshot); how we build it is described on our methodology page. HeyAlbert. https://heyalbert.site/research/methodology/