The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Prairie State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Illinois have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Illinois is the 31st smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 99.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Illinois are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Dumbest Places In Illinois
Don’t freak out.
Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.
For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 323 cities in Illinois to rank. You can take a look at the data below.
For more Illinois reading, check out:
The 10 Dumbest Places In Illinois For 2025
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2. Chester
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% Adult High School Dropout: 24.0%
% Highly Educated: 7.0%
More on Chester:
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5. Pinckneyville
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% Adult High School Dropout: 27.0%
% Highly Educated: 13.0%
More on Pinckneyville:
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% Adult High School Dropout: 30.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Melrose Park: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Kankakee: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 21.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Belvidere: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 21.0%
% Highly Educated: 15.0%
More on Burbank: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 26.0%
% Highly Educated: 16.0%
More on Northlake: Data
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Prairie State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Illinois:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2019-2023 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Illinois from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Illinois city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2025, and it’s our tenth time ranking the dumbest cities in Illinois.
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Illinois where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Illinois are Cicero, Chester, Harvey, Summit, Pinckneyville, Melrose Park, Kankakee, Belvidere, Burbank, and Northlake.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Illinois, according to science:
- Western Springs
- Wilmette
- Lake Forest
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Illinois
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
- Richest Cities In Illinois
- Safest Places In Illinois
- Worst Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Illinois
Dumbest Cities In Illinois For 2025
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cicero, IL | 83,223 | 31.0% | 11.0% |
| 2 | Chester, IL | 6,830 | 24.0% | 7.0% |
| 3 | Harvey, IL | 19,831 | 24.0% | 10.0% |
| 4 | Summit, IL | 10,896 | 31.0% | 12.0% |
| 5 | Pinckneyville, IL | 5,055 | 27.0% | 13.0% |
| 6 | Melrose Park, IL | 24,513 | 30.0% | 14.0% |
| 7 | Kankakee, IL | 24,384 | 20.0% | 12.0% |
| 8 | Belvidere, IL | 24,510 | 21.0% | 14.0% |
| 9 | Burbank, IL | 28,822 | 21.0% | 15.0% |
| 10 | Northlake, IL | 12,547 | 26.0% | 16.0% |
| 11 | Round Lake Beach, IL | 27,081 | 23.0% | 16.0% |
| 12 | West Frankfort, IL | 7,156 | 16.0% | 11.0% |
| 13 | Hillsboro, IL | 5,693 | 17.0% | 12.0% |
| 14 | East St. Louis, IL | 18,278 | 18.0% | 14.0% |
| 15 | Maywood, IL | 23,173 | 21.0% | 16.0% |
| 16 | Round Lake Park, IL | 7,833 | 21.0% | 16.0% |
| 17 | Vandalia, IL | 6,041 | 15.0% | 11.0% |
| 18 | Beach Park, IL | 13,988 | 19.0% | 16.0% |
| 19 | Kewanee, IL | 12,280 | 17.0% | 15.0% |
| 20 | Posen, IL | 5,331 | 15.0% | 12.0% |
| 21 | Hoopeston, IL | 5,039 | 14.0% | 8.0% |
| 22 | Genoa, IL | 5,685 | 14.0% | 12.0% |
| 23 | Beardstown, IL | 6,047 | 19.0% | 17.0% |
| 24 | Du Quoin, IL | 5,780 | 13.0% | 11.0% |
| 25 | Metropolis, IL | 5,898 | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| 26 | Harvard, IL | 9,875 | 20.0% | 18.0% |
| 27 | Bridgeview, IL | 16,721 | 18.0% | 17.0% |
| 28 | Broadview, IL | 7,898 | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| 29 | Lasalle, IL | 9,471 | 14.0% | 14.0% |
| 30 | Franklin Park, IL | 18,233 | 22.0% | 19.0% |
| 31 | Pontiac, IL | 11,483 | 15.0% | 16.0% |
| 32 | Streator, IL | 12,274 | 12.0% | 12.0% |
| 33 | Mendota, IL | 6,915 | 16.0% | 17.0% |
| 34 | Bensenville, IL | 18,576 | 21.0% | 20.0% |
| 35 | Paris, IL | 8,154 | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 36 | Bellwood, IL | 18,373 | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 37 | Zion, IL | 24,466 | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 38 | Danville, IL | 28,663 | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 39 | North Chicago, IL | 30,772 | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| 40 | Lyons, IL | 10,391 | 16.0% | 18.0% |
| 41 | Waukegan, IL | 88,919 | 23.0% | 21.0% |
| 42 | Monmouth, IL | 8,794 | 18.0% | 19.0% |
| 43 | Rock Falls, IL | 8,683 | 12.0% | 15.0% |
| 44 | Addison, IL | 35,470 | 23.0% | 22.0% |
| 45 | Benton, IL | 7,076 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 46 | Rochelle, IL | 9,477 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 47 | Pana, IL | 5,277 | 12.0% | 15.0% |
| 48 | Carpentersville, IL | 37,544 | 24.0% | 24.0% |
| 49 | Blue Island, IL | 23,416 | 17.0% | 20.0% |
| 50 | Markham, IL | 11,434 | 12.0% | 16.0% |
| 51 | Canton, IL | 13,408 | 12.0% | 16.0% |
| 52 | Dixon, IL | 15,166 | 13.0% | 17.0% |
| 53 | Carlinville, IL | 5,574 | 19.0% | 22.0% |
| 54 | Harrisburg, IL | 8,608 | 16.0% | 20.0% |
| 55 | Galesburg, IL | 29,653 | 15.0% | 19.0% |
| 56 | Crest Hill, IL | 19,754 | 15.0% | 20.0% |
| 57 | Clinton, IL | 7,012 | 13.0% | 18.0% |
| 58 | Rantoul, IL | 12,515 | 9.0% | 12.0% |
| 59 | Pontoon Beach, IL | 6,131 | 11.0% | 16.0% |
| 60 | Chicago Heights, IL | 26,938 | 15.0% | 20.0% |
| 61 | East Alton, IL | 5,729 | 11.0% | 17.0% |
| 62 | Steger, IL | 9,449 | 11.0% | 17.0% |
| 63 | Jerseyville, IL | 7,432 | 12.0% | 19.0% |
| 64 | East Moline, IL | 20,837 | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| 65 | Elgin, IL | 114,106 | 19.0% | 26.0% |
| 66 | Spring Valley, IL | 5,508 | 12.0% | 19.0% |
| 67 | Romeoville, IL | 40,996 | 16.0% | 24.0% |
| 68 | Berwyn, IL | 55,888 | 16.0% | 25.0% |
| 69 | Joliet, IL | 149,785 | 16.0% | 25.0% |
| 70 | Robinson, IL | 7,005 | 19.0% | 27.0% |
| 71 | Hillside, IL | 8,133 | 19.0% | 27.0% |
| 72 | Centralia, IL | 12,009 | 11.0% | 18.0% |
| 73 | Greenville, IL | 7,159 | 14.0% | 22.0% |
| 74 | Midlothian, IL | 14,024 | 11.0% | 19.0% |
| 75 | Salem, IL | 7,341 | 8.0% | 15.0% |
| 76 | Riverdale, IL | 10,515 | 9.0% | 17.0% |
| 77 | Worth, IL | 10,731 | 12.0% | 20.0% |
| 78 | Rockford, IL | 147,649 | 14.0% | 24.0% |
| 79 | Murphysboro, IL | 6,804 | 11.0% | 20.0% |
| 80 | Justice, IL | 12,372 | 10.0% | 19.0% |
| 81 | Pekin, IL | 31,812 | 10.0% | 19.0% |
| 82 | Wood River, IL | 10,315 | 7.0% | 15.0% |
| 83 | West Chicago, IL | 25,434 | 20.0% | 31.0% |
| 84 | Colona, IL | 5,189 | 9.0% | 18.0% |
| 85 | Machesney Park, IL | 22,744 | 9.0% | 18.0% |
| 86 | Calumet Park, IL | 6,836 | 10.0% | 19.0% |
| 87 | Berkeley, IL | 5,222 | 11.0% | 21.0% |
| 88 | Palos Hills, IL | 18,139 | 13.0% | 25.0% |
| 89 | Stickney, IL | 6,957 | 12.0% | 24.0% |
| 90 | Mount Carmel, IL | 6,892 | 8.0% | 17.0% |
| 91 | Marengo, IL | 7,123 | 8.0% | 17.0% |
| 92 | Alsip, IL | 18,650 | 11.0% | 21.0% |
| 93 | Hanover Park, IL | 36,850 | 16.0% | 29.0% |
| 94 | Jacksonville, IL | 17,490 | 12.0% | 23.0% |
| 95 | Mattoon, IL | 16,334 | 10.0% | 20.0% |
| 96 | Hampshire, IL | 8,351 | 13.0% | 27.0% |
| 97 | Rock Island, IL | 36,758 | 10.0% | 22.0% |
| 98 | Highwood, IL | 5,243 | 20.0% | 38.0% |
| 99 | Freeport, IL | 23,636 | 9.0% | 21.0% |
| 100 | Aurora, IL | 179,867 | 18.0% | 37.0% |
There is no way Unuversity Park is one of the least dumbest cities.
I agree.
Wondering how you leave out Chicago? 69% graduation rate,over 1600 bars,however they do have 77 braches of the Chicago library
Melrose Park is just a short jaunt east of Chicago? Either it’s in Lake Michigan or maybe the author is from Melrose Park?
To the genius that wrote this article, LaSalle has a very historic library. And just about every town in Illinois has 1 library with several bars in said town making every town in Illinois the dumbest according to your “scientific” facts. I am not sure what your point is with articles like this but it is clear you are click troll bait. without any sort of research on a town or their occupants,
Oh btw, the greater Chicago area now includes towns 110 miles west of Chicago? Guess the author is this post is clearly one of the dumbest ever in the history of internet posts.
You used number of men in a city as criteria for how dumb a city is? Wow, that’s extremely sexist, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Hey?! Why isn’t your city up here since you wanna make other feel dumb when the true dummy is you 😉
Whoa, stumbled upon this list of the “dumbest” places in Illinois, and it’s making me scratch my head. I mean, come on, Chester and Pinckneyville? Really? I grew up nearby, and yeah, we might not all have fancy degrees, but there’s more to us than just numbers, right? And how did Chicago dodge this list with all its quirks? I’m thinking there’s more to a town’s smarts than just high school stats. What do you guys think? Any other towns missing from this “intelligence” test?