Russian Population in Cook County, IL by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Russian population in Cook County, IL is recorded at 52,168 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Most cities in Cook County - including Chicago, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, and others - report non-zero figures, reflecting a broad and distributed Russian presence. However, the combined population across these cities exceeds the official county total - a likely result of rounding differences or sampling variations in small-population census data. The analysis below explores how Russian communities are spread across Cook County, IL and comparable counties throughout Illinois.

Top 5 cities with the largest Russian population in Cook County

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  • 1
    Chicago
    Russian population in Chicago is 23,782
    0.88% of Chicago population is Russian
  • 2
    Buffalo Grove
    Russian population in Buffalo Grove is 2,738
    6.39% of Buffalo Grove population is Russian
  • 3
    Evanston
    Russian population in Evanston is 2,141
    2.80% of Evanston population is Russian
  • 4
    Northbrook
    Russian population in Northbrook is 2,009
    5.80% of Northbrook population is Russian
  • 5
    Wheeling
    Russian population in Wheeling is 1,907
    4.95% of Wheeling population is Russian

Overview of Russian population in Cook County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Cook County contains 52,168 Russian residents (1% of 5.2 million total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 99th percentile within Illinois for Russian demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Cook County's Russian population of 1% surpassing both Illinois's state average of 0.75% and the national average of 0.69%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Cook County hosts 52,168 Russian residents, constituting 55% of Illinois's total Russian population of 94,794, creating a demographic concentration where more than half of the state's Russian community resides within a single county—a geographic clustering pattern rarely documented in American demographic research.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Cook County maintains 55.2 Russian Americans per square mile, representing more than thirty-two times Illinois's average of 1.7 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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125 Cities in Cook County Ranked by Russian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Russian populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Chicago, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, and Northbrook. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 125 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Cook County, IL ranked by Russian population count
Rank by Russian Population
City
Russian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Cook County Russian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Chicago 23,782 0.88% 45.59%
2 Buffalo Grove 2,738 6.39% 5.25%
3 Evanston 2,141 2.80% 4.10%
4 Northbrook 2,009 5.80% 3.85%
5 Wheeling 1,907 4.95% 3.66%
6 Glenview 1,820 3.82% 3.49%
7 Skokie 1,636 2.46% 3.14%
8 1,347 1.77% 2.58%
9 1,220 4.43% 2.34%
10 1,187 1.78% 2.28%
11 1,169 13.41% 2.24%
12 1,154 1.01% 2.21%
13 940 1.76% 1.80%
14 665 1.12% 1.27%
15 556 4.22% 1.07%
16 545 2.21% 1.04%
17 536 0.70% 1.03%
18 387 0.70% 0.74%
19 382 0.75% 0.73%
20 360 0.62% 0.69%
21 332 1.38% 0.64%
22 308 5.42% 0.59%
23 296 0.75% 0.57%
24 275 0.91% 0.53%
25 269 0.49% 0.52%
26 251 0.78% 0.48%
27 240 0.43% 0.46%
28 239 0.61% 0.46%
29 221 0.97% 0.42%
30 216 0.38% 0.41%
31 212 0.88% 0.41%
32 211 1.79% 0.40%
33 200 1.60% 0.38%
34 198 1.79% 0.38%
35 185 0.46% 0.35%
36 184 1.04% 0.35%
37 144 0.79% 0.28%
38 141 1.87% 0.27%
39 139 1.21% 0.27%
40 138 0.72% 0.26%
41 110 0.69% 0.21%
42 108 0.69% 0.21%
43 98 0.50% 0.19%
44 93 0.45% 0.18%
45 92 1.04% 0.18%
46 88 0.51% 0.17%
47 85 0.44% 0.16%
47 85 1.45% 0.16%
48 83 0.72% 0.16%
48 83 0.50% 0.16%
49 81 0.22% 0.16%
49 81 0.61% 0.16%
50 78 0.70% 0.15%
50 78 0.74% 0.15%
50 78 0.86% 0.15%
51 76 0.52% 0.15%
52 67 0.25% 0.13%
53 66 0.50% 0.13%
54 64 1.60% 0.12%
55 62 0.83% 0.12%
56 53 0.78% 0.10%
57 52 0.75% 0.10%
58 51 0.96% 0.10%
59 47 0.25% 0.09%
60 45 0.90% 0.09%
61 44 8.03% 0.08%
61 44 1.06% 0.08%
62 42 0.34% 0.08%
62 42 0.44% 0.08%
63 40 0.77% 0.08%
63 40 0.44% 0.08%
63 40 0.22% 0.08%
64 38 0.27% 0.07%
65 37 0.35% 0.07%
65 37 0.18% 0.07%
66 36 0.33% 0.07%
67 32 0.19% 0.06%
68 31 0.32% 0.06%
69 30 0.12% 0.06%
70 28 0.35% 0.05%
70 28 0.44% 0.05%
71 24 0.03% 0.05%
72 21 0.16% 0.04%
73 18 0.17% 0.03%
74 17 0.06% 0.03%
75 16 0.38% 0.03%
76 15 0.04% 0.03%
76 15 0.11% 0.03%
77 14 0.12% 0.03%
78 13 0.06% 0.02%
78 13 0.09% 0.02%
79 12 0.47% 0.02%
79 12 0.12% 0.02%
80 11 0.05% 0.02%
81 9 0.05% 0.02%
82 8 0.10% 0.02%
82 8 0.06% 0.02%
83 7 0.03% 0.01%
83 7 0.08% 0.01%
83 7 0.02% 0.01%
83 7 0.15% 0.01%
84 6 0.15% 0.01%
85 3 0.27% 0.01%
86 2 0.05% 0.00%
87 1 0.05% 0.00%
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
88 0 - -
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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 city in Cook County, IL by their Russian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Russian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Russian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Russian alone, while others identify as Russian along with another race (such as Russian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Russian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Russian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Russian alone or in combination in city. 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 Russian .
  2. % of Total Cook County Russian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Russian 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 Russian 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported Russian 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 Russian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.