This Is The Wealthiest Small Town In Illinois

KILDEER, IL — Wealth can commonly be found in some of the nation's biggest cities, but what about in the small towns?

A new GoBankingRates study that set out to find pockets of wealth in the nation’s quieter communities found that the richest small town in Illinois is Kildeer. There, the median annual income is $226,375. That's compared to a statewide median income of $80,306 in 2023.

Kildeer is located in the southwest corner of Lake County, in Ela Township, 29 miles northwest of Chicago and neighbor to Lake Zurich, Deer Park, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, and Barrington.

Since its incorporation in 1958, the Village's growth has been carefully and thoughtfully guided, according to its website. As of 2025, Kildeer is nearing a population of 4,000, with approximately 1,200 residences.

Kildeer has 2,625 acres with 25 plus subdivisions offering a range of quality custom homes in a rural setting, where lakes, ponds, streams, woods, wetlands and natural habitats prevail.

For the study, GoBankingRates analyzed income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. “Small town” was defined as having between 500 and 15,000 households. Data is current as of May 16, 2023. Alaska wasn’t included because it doesn’t have enough data.

The top five wealthiest small towns in the nation are:

• Orinda, California (median income $248, 984)
• Noroton, Connecticut (median income $248,125)
• Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania (median income $247,930)
• University Park, Texas ($247,045)
• Flower Hill, New York ($246,533)

The least affluent of these wealthy small towns are:

• Shelburne, Vermont (median income $96,976)
• Cassville, West Virginia (median income $105,440)
• Inniswold, Louisiana (median income $106,759)
• Hickman, Nebraska (median income $107,604)
• Helena Valley Northeast, Montana (median income $115,833)