Gayest places in Illinois research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in Illinois with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
The city with the highest rate of same-sex houesholds in Illinois is Gilberts. 11.66% of households in Gilberts are gay.
The city in Illinois with the most same-sex houesholds is Chicago with 18,849 gay households.
Illinois is the 23rd most gay in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
An estimated 0.89% of Illinois residents are gay.
That means there are a total of 44,785 gay households in The Prairie State.
Our goal with this post is to use Saturday Night Science and data to determine the gayest cities in Illinois.
After analyzing 447 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in Illinois for 2026.
The 10 Gayest Places In Illinois For 2026
What’s the gayest place in Illinois? According to the facts, Gilberts is the gayest place in Illinois for 2026.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Gayest cities in the United States
- Best Places To Live In Illinois
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
The 10 Gayest Cities In Illinois For 2026
/10
Households: 2,812
Gay Households: 328 (11th highest)
% Gay Households: 11.66% (1st highest)
More on Gilberts: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Polo
/10
Households: 1,075
Gay Households: 49 (136th highest)
% Gay Households: 4.56% (2nd highest)
More on Polo: Crime | Movers
3. Mount Morris
/10
Households: 1,332
Gay Households: 56 (112th highest)
% Gay Households: 4.2% (3rd highest)
More on Mount Morris: Crime | Movers
4. Johnston City
/10
Households: 1,449
Gay Households: 59 (105th highest)
% Gay Households: 4.07% (4th highest)
More on Johnston City: Movers
/10
Households: 3,516
Gay Households: 132 (38th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.75% (5th highest)
More on Riverside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 2,403
Gay Households: 90 (67th highest)
% Gay Households: 3.75% (6th highest)
More on Stickney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 4,156
Gay Households: 115 (48th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.77% (7th highest)
More on Silvis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 4,196
Gay Households: 115 (48th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.74% (8th highest)
More on River Grove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Olympia Fields
/10
Households: 1,951
Gay Households: 50 (132nd highest)
% Gay Households: 2.56% (9th highest)
More on Olympia Fields: Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Households: 1,278
Gay Households: 32 (174th highest)
% Gay Households: 2.5% (10th highest)
More on Wadsworth: Data | Movers
How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in Illinois for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in Illinois, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 447 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.
In the end, ended up being the the most gay place with 11.66% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in Illinois.
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Illinois For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Illinois, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in Illinois are .
If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in Illinois:
- Mokena
- Mascoutah
- Round Lake Park
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Illinois
- Safest Places In Illinois
- Worst Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Illinois
Table: Gayest Places To Live In Illinois
| Rank | City | Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilberts | 2,812 | 11.66% |
| 2 | Polo | 1,075 | 4.56% |
| 3 | Mount Morris | 1,332 | 4.2% |
| 4 | Johnston City | 1,449 | 4.07% |
| 5 | Riverside | 3,516 | 3.75% |
| 6 | Stickney | 2,403 | 3.75% |
| 7 | Silvis | 4,156 | 2.77% |
| 8 | River Grove | 4,196 | 2.74% |
| 9 | Olympia Fields | 1,951 | 2.56% |
| 10 | Wadsworth | 1,278 | 2.5% |
| 11 | Auburn | 1,685 | 2.49% |
| 12 | Schiller Park | 4,353 | 2.44% |
| 13 | Sycamore | 7,401 | 2.41% |
| 14 | Alsip | 7,724 | 2.4% |
| 15 | Evanston | 31,705 | 2.29% |
| 16 | Galena | 1,717 | 2.27% |
| 17 | Metamora | 1,442 | 2.22% |
| 18 | North Barrington | 1,107 | 2.17% |
| 19 | Sauk Village | 3,070 | 2.15% |
| 20 | Lakemoor | 2,483 | 2.01% |
| 21 | Dupo | 1,598 | 2.0% |
| 22 | Dwight | 1,652 | 2.0% |
| 23 | Northlake | 4,277 | 1.94% |
| 24 | Evergreen Park | 7,215 | 1.93% |
| 25 | Carpentersville | 11,583 | 1.88% |
| 26 | Edwardsville | 9,828 | 1.87% |
| 27 | Jacksonville | 6,745 | 1.87% |
| 28 | West Peoria | 1,902 | 1.84% |
| 29 | Lena | 1,197 | 1.84% |
| 30 | Lansing | 11,236 | 1.83% |
| 31 | Broadview | 3,157 | 1.81% |
| 32 | Crest Hill | 8,153 | 1.79% |
| 33 | Berkeley | 1,789 | 1.79% |
| 34 | Posen | 1,512 | 1.79% |
| 35 | Carterville | 2,454 | 1.75% |
| 36 | Manhattan | 3,632 | 1.73% |
| 37 | Shorewood | 6,852 | 1.68% |
| 38 | Arthur | 1,034 | 1.64% |
| 39 | Chicago | 1,160,205 | 1.62% |
| 40 | Bensenville | 7,015 | 1.55% |
| 41 | Flossmoor | 3,540 | 1.55% |
| 42 | Alton | 10,714 | 1.54% |
| 43 | Metropolis | 2,430 | 1.52% |
| 44 | Berwyn | 20,476 | 1.52% |
| 45 | Merrionette Park | 1,054 | 1.52% |
| 46 | Oak Park | 23,387 | 1.51% |
| 47 | Monmouth | 3,323 | 1.47% |
| 48 | Robinson | 2,587 | 1.47% |
| 49 | Marshall | 1,898 | 1.42% |
| 50 | Indian Head Park | 1,783 | 1.4% |
| 51 | Effingham | 5,423 | 1.4% |
| 52 | Pittsfield | 1,934 | 1.4% |
| 53 | Riverwoods | 1,241 | 1.37% |
| 54 | Quincy | 17,620 | 1.36% |
| 55 | Dekalb | 16,388 | 1.35% |
| 56 | Normal | 20,387 | 1.35% |
| 57 | Wauconda | 5,039 | 1.35% |
| 58 | Washington | 6,053 | 1.34% |
| 59 | Kildeer | 1,499 | 1.33% |
| 60 | Hainesville | 1,219 | 1.31% |
| 61 | Galesburg | 12,628 | 1.31% |
| 62 | Fairview Heights | 7,221 | 1.3% |
| 63 | Belleville | 17,646 | 1.29% |
| 64 | Antioch | 5,297 | 1.28% |
| 65 | Lake Villa | 3,116 | 1.28% |
| 66 | Belvidere | 9,589 | 1.26% |
| 67 | Skokie | 24,382 | 1.26% |
| 68 | Beardstown | 2,328 | 1.25% |
| 69 | Rockford | 61,324 | 1.24% |
| 70 | Villa Park | 8,363 | 1.23% |
| 71 | Oglesby | 1,549 | 1.23% |
| 72 | Forest Park | 7,085 | 1.2% |
| 73 | East Dundee | 1,521 | 1.18% |
| 74 | Lyons | 4,022 | 1.17% |
| 75 | St. Joseph | 1,462 | 1.16% |
| 76 | Colona | 1,978 | 1.16% |
| 77 | Champaign | 36,815 | 1.16% |
| 78 | Green Oaks | 1,552 | 1.16% |
| 79 | Homewood | 7,082 | 1.16% |
| 80 | Highland | 4,931 | 1.16% |
| 81 | Wheeling | 15,171 | 1.15% |
| 82 | Hoopeston | 1,999 | 1.15% |
| 83 | Algonquin | 10,968 | 1.15% |
| 84 | Charleston | 7,447 | 1.14% |
| 85 | Troy | 4,389 | 1.14% |
| 86 | Lincoln | 6,102 | 1.13% |
| 87 | Beach Park | 5,143 | 1.13% |
| 88 | Burr Ridge | 4,536 | 1.12% |
| 89 | La Grange Park | 5,285 | 1.12% |
| 90 | Zion | 8,813 | 1.11% |
| 91 | Oak Brook | 3,061 | 1.11% |
| 92 | Rockton | 2,910 | 1.1% |
| 93 | Lebanon | 1,564 | 1.09% |
| 94 | Lake Bluff | 2,212 | 1.08% |
| 95 | Henry | 1,034 | 1.06% |
| 96 | Brookfield | 7,683 | 1.05% |
| 97 | Oakbrook Terrace | 1,334 | 1.05% |
| 98 | Wilmington | 2,296 | 1.05% |
| 99 | Justice | 4,900 | 1.04% |
| 100 | Mount Vernon | 6,108 | 1.03% |