Gayest Places In Illinois For 2020


We looked at years of data to determine which Illinois cities have the most pride

RoadSnacks is reader-supported. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2020. This is our sixth time ranking the gayest places in Illinois.

Swipe left for slideshow. Article continues below.

When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriages, America generally, and the gay community specifically, celebrated. Same-sex marriages, and the gay and lesbian movement is more mainstream than ever.

While the national discussion has been brought to the forefront, at the state level, conversations continue.

Did you know that an estimated 0.35% of Illinois residents is gay? That ranks as the number 14 most gay state in the nation. That means there are a total of 14,867 gay households in The Prairie State.

Our goal with this post is to use data and science to determine the gayest cities in Illinois.

After analyzing 438 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in Illinois for 2020.

The 10 Gayest Places In Illinois For 2020

  1. Coal Valley
  2. Monticello (Photos)
  3. West Dundee (Photos)
  4. Cahokia (Photos)
  5. Lebanon (Photos)
  6. Dupo
  7. Creve Coeur
  8. Worth
  9. Cortland
  10. Benton (Photos)

What’s the gayest place in Illinois? According to the facts, Coal Valley is the gayest place in Illinois for 2020.

For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the gayest cities in America.

For more Illinois reading, check out:

The 10 Gayest Cities In Illinois For 2020

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Households: 1,560
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 3)
Gay Households: 29 (74th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.72% (1st highest)
More on Coal Valley:  Data

Monticello, IL

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Households: 2,425
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Gay Households: 52 (40th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.97% (2nd highest)
More on Monticello:  Data | Photos

Monticello is a city in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,138 at the 2000 census, and 5,374 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Piatt County.

West Dundee, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Households: 3,156
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Gay Households: 60 (30th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.41% (3rd highest)
More on West Dundee:  Data | Photos

West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,331 as of the 2010 US Census. It is considered a far west Chicago suburb.

Cahokia, IL

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Households: 4,910
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 4)
Gay Households: 54 (36th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.2% (4th highest)
More on Cahokia:  Data | Photos

Cahokia is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is part of Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the village had a population of 15,241, a decline from 16,391 in 2000. The name is a reference to one of the clans of the historic Illini confederacy, who were encountered by early French explorers to the region. It was founded as a French Canadian mission in 1696.

Lebanon, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Households: 1,656
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Gay Households: 18 (108th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.17% (5th highest)
More on Lebanon:  Data | Photos

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Households: 1,621
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Gay Households: 17 (116th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.1% (6th highest)
More on Dupo:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Households: 2,146
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 7)
Gay Households: 22 (90th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.05% (7th highest)
More on Creve Coeur:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Households: 3,999
Rank Last Year: 53 (Up 45)
Gay Households: 41 (55th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.75% (8th highest)
More on Worth:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Households: 1,342
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 8)
Gay Households: 11 (155th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.64% (9th highest)
More on Cortland:  Data

Benton, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Households: 2,873
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 9)
Gay Households: 29 (74th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.6% (10th highest)
More on Benton:  Data | Photos

Benton is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,087 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County.

How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in Illinois for 2020

In order to rank the gayest cities in Illinois, we used the 2014-2018 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census. We looked at:

  • Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same sex partners

We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.

We ranked each place from 1 to 438 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.

In the end, ended up being the the most gay place with 3.72% gay households. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about the gayest places in Illinois. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.

There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Illinois For 2020

If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Illinois, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in Illinois:

  • Zion
  • La Grange Park
  • Harwood Heights

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Gayest Places To Live In Illinois

Rank City Households % Gay Households
1 Coal Valley 1,560 3.72%
2 Monticello 2,425 2.97%
3 West Dundee 3,156 2.41%
4 Cahokia 4,910 2.2%
5 Lebanon 1,656 2.17%
6 Dupo 1,621 2.1%
7 Creve Coeur 2,146 2.05%
8 Worth 3,999 1.75%
9 Cortland 1,342 1.64%
10 Benton 2,873 1.6%
11 Shiloh 5,149 1.59%
12 Yorkville 6,175 1.39%
13 Westchester 6,557 1.19%
14 Casey 1,189 1.18%
15 Swansea 5,579 1.04%
16 Crystal Lake 14,701 1.02%
17 Round Lake 5,747 1.01%
18 Troy 3,874 0.98%
19 Palos Heights 4,710 0.98%
20 Calumet City 13,769 0.97%
21 Carpentersville 10,824 0.96%
22 Oswego 11,114 0.95%
23 Godfrey 7,362 0.92%
24 Crestwood 4,988 0.92%
25 Sparta 1,978 0.91%
26 Eldorado 1,812 0.88%
27 Maryville 3,455 0.87%
28 Chicago 1,056,118 0.87%
29 Oak Park 21,684 0.85%
30 Sleepy Hollow 1,218 0.82%
31 Riverside 3,190 0.82%
32 Alton 11,492 0.8%
33 Savoy 3,523 0.79%
34 Park City 2,274 0.79%
35 University Park 2,584 0.77%
36 Evanston 28,524 0.76%
37 Belvidere 8,992 0.76%
38 Berwyn 18,225 0.75%
39 West Frankfort 3,391 0.71%
40 Heyworth 1,153 0.69%
41 Quincy 17,308 0.69%
42 Carol Stream 14,119 0.67%
43 Midlothian 5,385 0.63%
44 Dolton 7,690 0.62%
45 Lindenhurst 5,145 0.62%
46 Winthrop Harbor 2,610 0.61%
47 Melrose Park 7,678 0.6%
48 Washington 6,530 0.58%
49 Peoria 46,280 0.58%
50 Henry 1,040 0.58%
51 Bloomingdale 8,581 0.56%
52 Moline 18,254 0.55%
53 St. Charles 12,708 0.54%
54 Forest Park 7,115 0.53%
55 Vernon Hills 9,752 0.53%
56 Niles 10,966 0.53%
57 Alsip 7,213 0.53%
58 Macomb 6,128 0.52%
59 Lincolnwood 4,260 0.52%
60 Grayslake 7,940 0.5%
61 North Chicago 7,219 0.5%
62 Cicero 22,226 0.49%
63 Antioch 5,035 0.48%
64 Champaign 34,463 0.48%
65 Streamwood 13,193 0.47%
66 Crete 3,063 0.46%
67 Bolingbrook 22,483 0.45%
68 Lincolnshire 3,097 0.45%
69 Kewanee 5,006 0.44%
70 Markham 4,174 0.43%
71 Edwardsville 8,554 0.42%
72 Rantoul 5,088 0.39%
73 Rock Island 15,412 0.39%
74 Mundelein 10,842 0.39%
75 Skokie 22,446 0.38%
76 Herrin 5,241 0.38%
77 Island Lake 3,149 0.38%
78 Springfield 50,890 0.38%
79 Orland Park 22,307 0.38%
80 Paris 3,722 0.38%
81 Oak Lawn 21,415 0.37%
82 Dekalb 15,015 0.37%
83 Rockford 59,403 0.37%
84 Lisle 9,857 0.37%
85 Hickory Hills 4,957 0.36%
86 Pekin 13,892 0.36%
87 Wheeling 14,019 0.36%
88 Fairview Heights 6,957 0.34%
89 Glenview 17,482 0.34%
90 Homewood 7,604 0.34%
91 La Grange 5,306 0.34%
92 Downers Grove 20,268 0.32%
93 Shorewood 5,816 0.31%
94 South Holland 7,219 0.3%
95 Villa Park 8,101 0.3%
96 Des Plaines 22,036 0.28%
97 Elgin 36,682 0.28%
98 Maywood 7,690 0.26%
99 Decatur 31,062 0.26%
100 Bloomington 31,952 0.26%

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.