2025

Cities in Lake County, IL ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 69 cities in Lake County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Lake County

View All
  • 1
    Arlington Heights
    White population in Arlington Heights is 64,060
    38.72% of Arlington Heights population is White
  • 2
    Arlington Heights
    White population in Arlington Heights is 64,060
    38.72% of Arlington Heights population is White
  • 3
    Waukegan
    White population in Waukegan is 46,286
    42.33% of Waukegan population is White
  • 4
    Palatine
    White population in Palatine is 45,503
    32.15% of Palatine population is White
  • 5
    Palatine
    White population in Palatine is 45,503
    32.15% of Palatine population is White

List of 69 cities in Lake County, IL by White Population

View Methodology
Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Lake County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Arlington Heights 64,060 38.72% 10.20%
1 Arlington Heights 64,060 38.72% 10.20%
2 Waukegan 46,286 42.33% 7.37%
3 Palatine 45,503 32.15% 7.25%
3 Palatine 45,503 32.15% 7.25%
4 Buffalo Grove 27,660 30.97% 4.41%
4 Buffalo Grove 27,660 30.97% 4.41%
5 27,269 83.42% 4.34%
6 23,588 64.67% 3.76%
7 23,039 27.46% 3.67%
7 23,039 27.46% 3.67%
8 22,324 66.27% 3.56%
9 19,730 58.93% 3.14%
10 18,931 66.11% 3.01%
11 18,375 83.09% 2.93%
12 17,874 45.09% 2.85%
12 17,874 45.09% 2.85%
13 17,573 84.91% 2.80%
14 17,533 85.36% 2.79%
15 17,413 76.04% 2.77%
16 16,066 44.86% 2.56%
17 12,895 57.97% 2.05%
18 12,530 80.18% 2.00%
19 12,291 41.86% 1.96%
20 12,230 77.75% 1.95%
21 11,928 77.31% 1.90%
22 10,039 40.94% 1.60%
22 10,039 40.94% 1.60%
23 9,654 41.56% 1.54%
23 9,654 41.56% 1.54%
24 8,850 55.86% 1.41%
25 7,806 81.59% 1.24%
26 7,594 42.51% 1.21%
26 7,594 42.51% 1.21%
27 6,938 71.12% 1.10%
28 6,892 77.21% 1.10%
29 6,033 73.72% 0.96%
30 5,954 84.97% 0.95%
31 5,843 62.65% 0.93%
32 5,665 81.75% 0.90%
33 5,337 84.07% 0.85%
34 5,110 50.05% 0.81%
35 5,054 40.09% 0.80%
35 5,054 40.09% 0.80%
36 4,942 87.90% 0.79%
37 4,265 43.10% 0.68%
37 4,265 43.10% 0.68%
38 3,583 88.34% 0.57%
39 3,577 82.00% 0.57%
40 3,510 61.36% 0.56%
41 3,503 21.85% 0.56%
41 3,503 21.85% 0.56%
41 3,503 21.85% 0.56%
41 3,503 21.85% 0.56%
42 3,323 41.90% 0.53%
42 3,323 41.90% 0.53%
43 3,225 72.85% 0.51%
44 3,131 76.65% 0.50%
45 2,810 84.38% 0.45%
46 2,781 71.25% 0.44%
47 1,726 55.79% 0.27%
48 1,434 43.45% 0.23%
48 1,434 43.45% 0.23%
49 1,106 88.69% 0.18%
49 1,106 88.76% 0.18%
50 857 75.04% 0.14%
51 617 89.68% 0.10%
52 430 47.41% 0.07%
53 116 86.57% 0.02%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Lake County, IL by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Lake County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.