Insight
Indian-American wealth in Illinois: suburbs grow, the top tier stays in Chicago
Lake and Will counties are growing fastest, but Chicago and the North Shore hold most of the $5M+ people in our Illinois data.
Illinois has about 280,700 residents of Asian Indian descent, up about 10% from the 2015–2019 survey [1][2]. Nearly half live in Cook County, but growth has moved to the collar counties: Lake and Will grew several times faster than Cook between the two survey periods.
Our database shows the wealth tier following an older map, concentrated in Chicago itself and a set of North Shore and western suburbs.
- 280,737 residents of Asian Indian descent (alone or in combination) in Illinois, 2020–2024 average [1], or 2.2% of the state's population [3] and 5.5% of the US total [1].
- +9.6% versus the 2015–2019 estimate of 256,126 [1][2] (our calculation).
- 2,559 people in the HeyAlbert database placed in Illinois at an estimated $1M+, of whom 508 are in our $5M+ bands [8].
Where Illinois's Indian-American residents live, by county
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 280,737 people who report Asian Indian ancestry, alone or with another group, across Illinois's 102 counties [1][4]. Cook County alone holds 47% of them, and the three largest counties together hold 78% [4] (our calculation).
| County | 2020–2024 | 2015–2019 | Change | Share of county |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 131,183 | 126,573 | 4% | 2.5% |
| DuPage County | 59,739 | 57,270 | 4% | 6.4% |
| Lake County | 27,752 | 20,383 | 36% | 3.9% |
| Will County | 21,736 | 16,973 | 28% | 3.1% |
| Kane County | 7,212 | 6,085 | 19% | 1.4% |
| McLean County | 6,293 | 5,869 | 7% | 3.7% |
| Champaign County | 5,121 | 4,969 | 3% | 2.5% |
| Peoria County | 3,747 | 4,228 | -11% | 2.1% |
| McHenry County | 3,000 | 2,170 | 38% | 1.0% |
| Kendall County | 2,399 | 1,170 | 105% | 1.7% |
Asian Indian alone or in any combination. Sources: ACS 5-year estimates [4][5]; county totals from Table B01003 (2020–2024). Change and share are our calculations. Estimates carry margins of error; small counties move a lot between surveys.
Cook County holds about 131,000 people of Asian Indian descent, 47% of the state total, and grew only about 4% [4][5]. DuPage, the second-largest community, also grew about 4%. Lake County grew about 36% and Will about 28% [4][5]. The most concentrated larger places are Buffalo Grove, at about 18%, and Naperville, at about 14% [6][7].
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 [6][7]:
| Place | Asian Indian residents | Total population | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Grove | 7,666 | 42,891 | 17.9% |
| Naperville | 21,147 | 150,692 | 14.0% |
| Schaumburg | 10,156 | 76,868 | 13.2% |
| Hoffman Estates | 6,423 | 51,175 | 12.6% |
| Vernon Hills | 3,310 | 26,876 | 12.3% |
| Morton Grove | 2,841 | 24,619 | 11.5% |
| Carol Stream | 4,275 | 39,460 | 10.8% |
| Hanover Park | 3,521 | 36,732 | 9.6% |
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 [6][7]; shares are our calculation.
What the HeyAlbert database shows in 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 2,559 such people in 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, as the next section explains.
| Estimated net-worth band | People in our database |
|---|---|
| $1M–5M | 2,051 |
| $5M–15M | 345 |
| $25M+ (probable) | 50 |
| $25M+ (likely) | 113 |
| Total, $1M+ | 2,559 |
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 |
| Lake Forest | 51 | <25 | <25 |
| Wilmette | 50 | <25 | <25 |
| Hinsdale | 43 | <25 | <25 |
| Schaumburg | 41 | <25 | <25 |
| Naperville | 40 | <25 | <25 |
| Burr Ridge | 35 | <25 | <25 |
| Winnetka | 33 | <25 | <25 |
Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Cities with 25+ people at $1M+ (13 in Illinois); cells under 25 shown as <25. The city is where our sources place the person; for some records it is a workplace or filing address rather than a home.
Chicago leads our Illinois set by a wide margin: 744 people at $1M+, including 197 at $5M+ and 64 at $25M+ [8]. The suburbs that follow are a mix of estate communities and established North Shore towns: South Barrington, Glenview, Oak Brook, Northbrook, Lake Forest and Wilmette [8]. Naperville and Schaumburg, which have large Indian-American populations, appear lower in our counts [8]. One cluster of records with an unverified city was left out of the city table.
Why our Illinois count looks the way it does
Each estimate in our database rests on a primary piece of public evidence. The mix of that evidence differs a lot from state to state, 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) | 1,476 | 58% |
| Other public signals (executive roles, company filings, gifts, pay) | 694 | 27% |
| Physician (licensed, specialty-based estimate) | 389 | 15% |
Source: HeyAlbert database [8], people at $1M+ in Illinois. Categories under 25 not shown.
Home values account for about 58% of our Illinois estimates, and physicians for 389 people, about 15% of the state's set [8]. Chicago's academic medical centers and suburban hospital systems are a large employer base for that group.
Giving signals
199 of the 2,559 people in our Illinois set (7.8%) have at least one public giving signal, such as a named gift on a donor roll or a role at a charity [8]. By cause, counting each person once per cause:
| Cause area | People with a signal |
|---|---|
| Other causes | 81 |
| Education | 52 |
| Health | 30 |
| Arts and culture | 29 |
| Human services | 27 |
Source: HeyAlbert database [8]. Causes with fewer than 25 people not shown. A person can appear under more than one cause.
What it means if you work with these families
In Illinois, the population is moving to Lake and Will counties, but the established wealth our data can see so far is still in Chicago and the older suburbs. The collar-county families are a growing pipeline of professionals and business owners. Physicians are a particularly well-documented segment here.
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,” which counts people who report Asian Indian ancestry together with another group as well as alone [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; differences of a few percent between small areas should not be over-read. 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: we have not found everyone, and what we have found depends on which public records exist and which we have processed in each state. These counts are not population totals and should not be read as the number of wealthy Indian-American households in Illinois. Any cell under 25 is suppressed, and we publish aggregates only, never individual records.
Related research
- How large and affluent is the Indian American community in the Chicago area?
- How many US doctors are of Indian origin?
- Which US states have the largest and wealthiest Indian American populations?
- Which US metro areas have the most affluent Indian American communities?
HeyAlbert finds Indian-American families worth $1M+ and tells you who to call, with every fact cited. See who is in Illinois at heyalbert.site.
Sources
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B02018 (Asian alone or in any combination by selected groups), all states. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B02018?g=010XX00US$0400000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2015–2019 5-year estimates, Table B02018, all states. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2019.B02018?g=010XX00US$0400000 (data: machine-readable)
- ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003 (total population), all states. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=010XX00US$0400000 (data: machine-readable)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Table B01003, places in Illinois. US Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=040XX00US17$1600000 (data: machine-readable)
- HeyAlbert database, aggregate counts (October 2026 snapshot); how we build it is described on our methodology page. HeyAlbert. https://heyalbert.site/research/methodology/
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