The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Illinois For 2022


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Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Illinois.

Is being in an area that's growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask. Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Chicago and Aurora, while others want peace and quiet like in Milan and Olympia Fields, thank you very much.

But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Illinois have the grown the fastest.

After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Prairie State that have people climbing over each other to get in.

These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Illinois for 2022 according to the most recent census data:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Illinois For 2022

  1. Volo
  2. Pingree Grove
  3. Savoy
  4. Gilberts
  5. Mahomet
  6. Huntley
  7. Yorkville
  8. Oswego
  9. Manhattan
  10. Plainfield

What's the fastest growing city in Illinois for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Volo ranks as the fastest growing city in Illinois. If you happen to be a resident of Volo, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.

If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Illinois are growing like weeds.

And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Illinois or the Fastest Growing States In America.

For more Illinois state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Illinois For 2022

1. Volo

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,498
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Population 2010: 1,859
Percent Growth 195.8%
Absolute Growth: 3,639
More on Volo: Homes For Sale | Data

2. Pingree Grove

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 8,768
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Population 2010: 3,780
Percent Growth 132.0%
Absolute Growth: 4,988
More on Pingree Grove: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Pingree Grove, IL

Source: Public domain

3. Savoy

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 8,802
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Population 2010: 6,388
Percent Growth 37.8%
Absolute Growth: 2,414
More on Savoy: Homes For Sale | Data

Savoy, IL

4. Gilberts

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,941
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Population 2010: 5,866
Percent Growth 35.4%
Absolute Growth: 2,075
More on Gilberts: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Gilberts, IL

Source: Public domain

5. Mahomet

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 8,888
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 5)
Population 2010: 6,888
Percent Growth 29.0%
Absolute Growth: 2,000
More on Mahomet: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Mahomet, IL

6. Huntley

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 27,413
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Population 2010: 21,261
Percent Growth 28.9%
Absolute Growth: 6,152
More on Huntley: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Huntley, IL

7. Yorkville

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 19,386
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 15,065
Percent Growth 28.7%
Absolute Growth: 4,321
More on Yorkville: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Yorkville, IL

8. Oswego

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 35,470
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 27,719
Percent Growth 28.0%
Absolute Growth: 7,751
More on Oswego: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Oswego, IL

9. Manhattan

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,218
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 6,511
Percent Growth 26.2%
Absolute Growth: 1,707
More on Manhattan: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Manhattan, IL

10. Plainfield

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 44,857
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Population 2010: 35,708
Percent Growth 25.6%
Absolute Growth: 9,149
More on Plainfield: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Plainfield, IL

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Prairie State for 2022

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2018)

We ranked all 332 Illinois cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Prairie State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population - Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

Here's a graph of the cities in Illinois with the largest percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Illinois Graph For 2022

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Illinois, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Illinois are led by Volo which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

It'll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We'll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Taylorville
  2. West Frankfort
  3. Pana

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Illinois For 2022

Rank City Growth Population Population 2010
1 Volo 195.8% 5,498 1,859
2 Pingree Grove 132.0% 8,768 3,780
3 Savoy 37.8% 8,802 6,388
4 Gilberts 35.4% 7,941 5,866
5 Mahomet 29.0% 8,888 6,888
6 Huntley 28.9% 27,413 21,261
7 Yorkville 28.7% 19,386 15,065
8 Oswego 28.0% 35,470 27,719
9 Manhattan 26.2% 8,218 6,511
10 Plainfield 25.6% 44,857 35,708

How Is The Area In ?

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.