The 10 Whitest Cities In Illinois For 2024


The whitest cities in Illinois are West Frankfort and Litchfield for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Whitest cities in Illinois research summary. We analyzed Illinois’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in Illinois based on the percentage of White residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The whitest city in Illinois is West Frankfort based on the most recent Census data.

  • West Frankfort is 96.61% White.

  • The least White city in Illinois is Calumet Park.

  • Calumet Park is 0.74% White.

  • Illinois is 59.6% White.

  • Illinois is the 36th Whitest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest White Population In Illinois Map


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Today, we are looking at the whitest places in Illinois. We won’t measure the number of Whole Foods or Pottery Barns per capita. Instead, we’ll focus on the Census data’s report of race by place in Illinois. In particular, we ranked each place in Illinois by the percentage of white people.

So where are the whitest cities you can live in Illinois?

After analyzing cities with populations greater than 5,000, we came up with this list as the whitest cities in Illinois for 2024.

Here are the 10 whites places in Illinois for 2024:

  1. West Frankfort
  2. Litchfield
  3. Waterloo
  4. Paris
  5. Monticello
  6. Carmi
  7. Jerseyville
  8. Pana
  9. Columbia
  10. Bethalto

What is the whitest city in Illinois for 2024? According to the most recent census data West Frankfort ranks as the whitest. If you’re wondering, Calumet Park is the least white city of all those we measured.

Read on below to see where your hometown ranked and why. Or check out the whitest states in America and the most diverse states in America.

For more Illinois reading, check out:

The 10 Whitest Cities In Illinois For 2024

West Frankfort, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 7,168
% White: 96.61%
More on West Frankfort: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Litchfield, IL

Source: Flickr User Haydn Blackey | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,937
% White: 96.44%
More on Litchfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Waterloo, IL

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,012
% White: 96.15%
More on Waterloo: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Paris, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,331
% White: 96.1%
More on Paris: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Monticello, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Dual Freq | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,337
% White: 96.02%
More on Monticello: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Carmi, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,042
% White: 95.38%
More on Carmi: Data | Real Estate

Jerseyville, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Scottinalton | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 7,623
% White: 95.32%
More on Jerseyville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Pana, IL

Source: Wikipedia User DianePearse69 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,167
% White: 95.05%
More on Pana: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Columbia, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,036
% White: 95.01%
More on Columbia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bethalto, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Tyler Warren | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 9,281
% White: 94.15%
More on Bethalto: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Illinois for 2024

To rank the whitest places in Illinois, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.

We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in Illinois on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in Illinois.

We looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.

We limited our analysis to town with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 324 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 96.6% to 0.7%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of White population, with a higher score being more White than a lower score. West Frankfort took the distinction of being the most White, while Calumet Park was the least White city.

We updated this article for 2024. This report represents our tenth time ranking the whitest cities in Illinois.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Illinois ranked by population of White residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: White Populations Across Illinois

We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in Illinois. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Illinois.

The most White cities in Illinois are West Frankfort, Litchfield, Waterloo, Paris, Monticello, Carmi, Jerseyville, Pana, Columbia, and Bethalto.

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

  1. Calumet Park
  2. East St. Louis
  3. Riverdale

For more Illinois reading, check out:

White Population By City In Illinois

Rank City Population White Population % White
1 West Frankfort 7,168 6,925 96.61%
2 Litchfield 6,937 6,690 96.44%
3 Waterloo 11,012 10,588 96.15%
4 Paris 8,331 8,006 96.1%
5 Monticello 6,337 6,085 96.02%
6 Carmi 5,042 4,809 95.38%
7 Jerseyville 7,623 7,266 95.32%
8 Pana 5,167 4,911 95.05%
9 Columbia 11,036 10,485 95.01%
10 Bethalto 9,281 8,738 94.15%
11 Bartonville 5,952 5,583 93.8%
12 Highland 10,215 9,558 93.57%
13 Salem 7,228 6,763 93.57%
14 Geneseo 6,421 5,995 93.37%
15 Washington 15,988 14,911 93.26%
16 Mount Zion 6,255 5,808 92.85%
17 East Peoria 22,552 20,921 92.77%
18 Mattoon 16,830 15,580 92.57%
19 Glencoe 8,787 8,099 92.17%
20 Taylorville 11,318 10,429 92.15%
21 Troy 10,920 10,031 91.86%
22 East Alton 5,782 5,308 91.8%
23 Olney 8,995 8,234 91.54%
24 Carterville 5,836 5,333 91.38%
25 Effingham 12,244 11,181 91.32%
26 Mahomet 9,545 8,710 91.25%
27 Morton 16,601 15,130 91.14%
28 Harrisburg 8,380 7,628 91.03%
29 Coal City 5,218 4,745 90.94%
30 Benton 6,999 6,362 90.9%
31 Chatham 14,437 13,095 90.7%
32 Winnetka 12,607 11,431 90.67%
33 Eureka 5,504 4,990 90.66%
34 Pekin 32,075 29,033 90.52%
35 Mokena 19,886 17,979 90.41%
36 Clinton 6,889 6,228 90.4%
37 Princeton 7,749 7,003 90.37%
38 New Lenox 27,242 24,601 90.31%
39 Manteno 8,632 7,783 90.16%
40 Johnsburg 6,387 5,729 89.7%
41 Braidwood 6,160 5,514 89.51%
42 Campton Hills 10,556 9,448 89.5%
43 Mount Carmel 6,978 6,239 89.41%
44 Carlinville 5,724 5,109 89.26%
45 Godfrey 17,791 15,864 89.17%
46 Western Springs 13,557 12,082 89.12%
47 Peru 9,831 8,708 88.58%
48 Deerfield 19,173 16,930 88.3%
49 Lemont 17,558 15,446 87.97%
50 Elburn 5,958 5,232 87.81%
51 Homer Glen 24,507 21,451 87.53%
52 Manhattan 9,590 8,384 87.42%
53 Lincoln 13,371 11,662 87.22%
54 Quincy 39,441 34,214 86.75%
55 Wood River 10,313 8,941 86.7%
56 Wilmington 5,525 4,786 86.62%
57 Metropolis 5,963 5,163 86.58%
58 Peoria Heights 5,890 5,092 86.45%
59 Herrin 12,344 10,656 86.33%
60 Hampshire 8,113 7,000 86.28%
61 Du Quoin 5,822 5,006 85.98%
62 Rockton 8,241 7,085 85.97%
63 Chillicothe 6,130 5,255 85.73%
64 Palos Heights 11,965 10,255 85.71%
65 Milan 5,066 4,339 85.65%
66 Sandwich 7,139 6,109 85.57%
67 Sycamore 18,171 15,541 85.53%
68 Canton 13,380 11,443 85.52%
69 Edwardsville 26,622 22,719 85.34%
70 Maryville 8,219 7,010 85.29%
71 Marion 16,867 14,382 85.27%
72 Channahon 13,807 11,696 84.71%
73 Morris 14,491 12,206 84.23%
74 Barrington 11,244 9,463 84.16%
75 Lockport 26,119 21,927 83.95%
76 Spring Grove 5,694 4,777 83.9%
77 Charleston 17,795 14,871 83.57%
78 Winthrop Harbor 6,693 5,588 83.49%
79 Glen Carbon 13,654 11,389 83.41%
80 Geneva 21,390 17,841 83.41%
81 Lake Zurich 19,749 16,456 83.33%
82 Cary 17,880 14,890 83.28%
83 Park Ridge 39,368 32,737 83.16%
84 Lake Bluff 5,919 4,921 83.14%
85 Northfield 5,707 4,740 83.06%
86 South Beloit 7,943 6,595 83.03%
87 Lake Forest 19,436 16,096 82.82%
88 Robinson 7,089 5,859 82.65%
89 Highland Park 30,209 24,946 82.58%
90 Marengo 7,471 6,169 82.57%
91 Pontiac 11,451 9,448 82.51%
92 Lakemoor 6,128 5,056 82.51%
93 Libertyville 20,555 16,933 82.38%
94 Palos Hills 18,278 15,056 82.37%
95 Genoa 5,044 4,151 82.3%
96 Machesney Park 22,840 18,780 82.22%
97 Ottawa 18,708 15,353 82.07%
98 Jacksonville 17,639 14,466 82.01%
99 Roscoe 11,134 9,115 81.87%
100 River Forest 11,568 9,468 81.85%
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.

4 thoughts on “The 10 Whitest Cities In Illinois For 2024

  1. Pretty humorous list, Now do a list of “blackest” cities in Illinois using a bunch of stereotypical criteria and see how that flies.

    1. My thoughts exactly. Although, I’m still not really understanding whitest. Perhaps in the same category as white privilege? Anyhoo. More useless information from internet, silly me.

  2. It’s quite ridiculous that you get huffy about people not agreeing with “fact based” data when you subsequently come up with a list based off of coffee house to yoga parlor ratios. I wonder what my math teacher would say about those ratios…

  3. It is BS (Bad Sociology) to use % white in total population. The question is, what % white is the HOUSEHOLD population. The notorious Anna, still known locally as “Ain’t No N* Allowed,” has about 75 African Americans in the IL State Mental Hospital, so it does not occur on this list. The first capital of IL, Vandalia, has about 1,300 African Americans, of whom about 1,300 are males age 18-70. They are in prison! And so it goes. For serious research on white IL cities, see the book SUNDOWN TOWNS.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *