Illinois now has a new third-largest city after new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showed one Chicago suburb dethroning another for the title.
While Chicago and Aurora held steady as the state's two largest cities, Naperville has now leaped over Joliet to take the No. 3 spot.
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WATCH HEREAccording to the latest estimates, which list the estimated population of each municipality as of July 1, 2024, Naperville now has a population of 153,124, a growth of nearly 2,000 residents from 2023.
Joliet is now the state's fourth-largest city, with a population of 151,837. The two Chicago suburbs rank 178th and 179th across the United States, respectively.
The growth echoes population increases seen in both Chicago and nationwide, with the city of Chicago's population by over 22,000 residents between mid-2023 and mid-2024, according to the Census Bureau.
In the same time period, Rockford, the state's fifth-largest city, grew by just under 700 residents, reaching an estimated population of 147,486.
Another Chicago suburb ranked as the state's sixth-largest city, with west suburban Elgin growing by just under 800 residents with an estimated population of 114,701.
The state's seventh-largest city, Springfield, was the most populous municipality in the state to see a year-over-year population decline, dropping by just over 50 residents in the above timeframe.
Closing out the state's top 10 cities in population were downstate Peoria and Champaign at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, with north suburban Waukegan ranking as the state's 10th-largest city.
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