Chicago metropolitan area
Chicago metropolitan area | |
|---|---|
| Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area | |
| Country |  United States |
| States |  Illinois Indiana Wisconsin |
| Core city | Chicago |
| Satellite cities |
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| Area | |
| • Metro | 10,856 sq mi (28,120 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 673 ft (205 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 579 ft (176 m) |
| Population | |
| • Density | 886/sq mi (342/km2) |
| • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (2022) | 9,441,957 (3rd) |
| • Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (2022) | 9,806,184 (4th) |
| Demonym | Chicagolander |
| GDP | |
| • Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) | $923.120 billion (2024) |
| • Combined Statistical Area (CSA) | $957.552 billion (2024) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 219, 224/847, 262, 312/872, 331/630, 574, 464/708, 773/872 and 779/815 |
image_alt. Replace with alt.pushpin_map_caption. Replace with pushpin_caption.timezone1_DST. Replace with time_zone1_DST.imagesize. Replace with image_size.settlement_type. Replace with type.mapsize. Replace with map_size.timezone1. Replace with time_zone1.image_skyline. Replace with image.pushpin_map_alt. Replace with pushpin_alt.The Chicago metropolitan area, also known as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwest. The metropolitan area contains the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs, satellite cities, and hinterland, spanning 13 counties across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. The MSA had a 2020 census population of 9,618,502, and the combined statistical area, which spans 19 counties, had a population of nearly 10 million. The Chicago area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the fourth-largest in North America (after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles), and the largest in the Great Lakes megalopolis. Its urban area is the 50th-largest in the world.
According to the 2020 census, Chicagoland's population is approaching 10 million. In recent decades, the metropolitan area has seen a substantial increase of Latin American residents on top of its already large Latino population, and the Asian American population also increased. The metro area has a large number of White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Arab American residents, and also has Native American residents. The Chicago metropolitan area has about 3 percent of the U.S. population.
Chicagoland has one of the world's largest and most diversified economies. With more than six million full and part-time employees, the Chicago metropolitan area is a key factor of the Illinois economy. The state has an annual GDP of over $1 trillion, and the Chicago metropolitan area generated an annual gross regional product (GRP) of approximately $700 billion in 2018. The region is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500, such as McDonald's, United, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. With many companies having project engagements in Chicago, the area ranked as the nation's top metropolitan area for corporation relocations and expansions for nine consecutive years, the most consecutive years for any region in the country. This metric however only measures project engagements, not real GDP or job growth, areas in which Chicago has substantially underperformed many other major metropolitan areas throughout the country over the past decade. Numerous high-profile companies have departed the city in recent years, including Fortune 500 firms such as Boeing, Caterpillar, TTX, Citadel Securities and Tyson, primarily due to unfavorable tax and regulatory conditions, as well as concerns related to crime and overall quality of life. According to McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski these factors have significantly hindered the company's ability to recruit talent for corporate roles at its Chicago headquarters.
The Chicago area is home to a number of the nation's leading research universities, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The University of Chicago and Northwestern University are consistently ranked as two of the world's best universities.
The Chicago area is a major transportation hub in North America for various modes such as air, bus, road, rail, and marine. O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is ranked as one of the busiest airports in the world, being a major hub for American Airlines and United Airlines, while Midway International Airport (MDW) serves as a major operating base for Southwest Airlines. Eight mainline interstate highways and four auxiliary interstates serve the region. Some interstates are toll roads such as those that belong to the Illinois Tollway and the Indiana Toll Road. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) coordinates the operation of three transit service boards serving much of the Illinois portion of the Chicagoland area: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra commuter rail, and Pace Suburban Bus. One Metra line extends into Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) operates the South Shore Line interurban service between downtown Chicago and the Northwest Indiana portion of the metropolitan area. Chicago Union Station (which also hosts Metra trains) is a major hub for Amtrak passenger trains and the main base for the Amtrak Midwest corridor services. All six Class I freight railroads meet in the Chicago area. The Port of Chicago allows for the passage of maritime shipping between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basin.