DuPage County, Illinois


DuPage County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat is Wheaton.
Known for its vast tallgrass prairies, DuPage County has become mostly developed and suburbanized, although some pockets of farmland remain in the county's western and northern parts. Located in the Rust Belt, the area is one of few in the region whose economy quickly became dependent on the headquarters of several large corporations due to its close proximity to Chicago. As quarries closed in the 1990s, land that was formerly used for mining and plants was converted into mixed-use, master-planned developments to meet the growing tax base. The county has a mixed socioeconomic profile and residents of Hinsdale include some of the wealthiest people in the Midwest. On the whole, the county enjoys above average median household income levels and low overall poverty levels when compared to the national average.

History

Prior to European-American settlement, the area that is now DuPage County was inhabited by the Potawatomi people. By 1800, the Potawatomi had established 4 major villages along local rivers within the county, and had a network of trails crisscrossing the area. The first European-American settlers arrived in what is now DuPage County in 1832, and the Potawatomi population was forced out of the region only one year later after ceding their land in the Treaty of Chicago. DuPage County was officially formed on February 9, 1839, out of Cook County. The county took its name from the DuPage River, which was, in turn, named after a French fur trapper, DuPage. The first written history to address the name, the 1882 History of DuPage County, Illinois, by Rufus Blanchard, relates:
The DuPage River had, from time immemorial, been a stream well known. It took its name from a French trader who settled on this stream below the fork previous to 1800. Hon. H. W. Blodgett, of Waukegan, informs the writer that J. B. Beaubien had often spoken to him of the old Frenchman, Du Page, whose station was on the bank of the river, down toward its mouth, and stated that the river took its name from him. The county name must have the same origin. Col Gurden S. Hubbard, who came into the country in 1818, informs the writer that the name DuPage, as applied to the river then, was universally known, but the trader for whom it was named lived there before his time. Mr. Beaubien says it is pronounced Du Pazhe. This was in reply to Mr. Blodgett's inquiry of him concerning the matter.

The first white settler in DuPage County was Bailey Hobson who, with Lewis Stewart, built a house in 1831 for the Hobson family at a site about south of present-day downtown Naperville. Hobson later built a mill to serve surrounding farmers. Today, the Hobson house still stands on Hobson Road in Naperville, and the location of the mill is commemorated with a millstone and monument in today's Pioneer Park.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The DuPage River and the Salt Creek flow through DuPage County. According to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the highest point in the county is located at the Mallard Lake Landfill, which at its highest point is above mean sea level.

Climate

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Wheaton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1995. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in August.

Adjacent counties

Counties that are adjacent to DuPage include:

2020 Census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 932,877, and the median age was 40.1 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older, and for every 100 females there were 95.9 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 66.1% White, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 12.8% Asian, fewer than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.7% from some other race, and 8.9% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 15.5% of the population.
99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 348,216 households in the county, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 55.9% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present.
There were 364,970 housing units, of which 4.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.3% were owner-occupied and 27.7% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.2% and a rental vacancy rate of 7.1%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in DuPage County, Illinois (2020 census)

2022 American Community Survey

The largest European ancestries reported among DuPage County residents in the 2022 American Community Survey are German, Irish, Polish, Italian, and English. The largest Hispanic group in the county is Mexican Americans, numbering 106,907 and making up 11.6% of the county's population, and over 70% of the total Hispanic population. The most common Asian ancestries in the county are Indian, Filipino, Chinese, and Pakistani.
The population of DuPage County has become more diverse. The population of foreign-born residents increased from about 71,300 in 1990 to 184,000 by 2022 estimates. Of the 20% of residents who were born abroad, 45.2% were born in Asia, 25.8% were born in Latin America, 24.3% were born in Europe, 3.5% were born in Africa, 3.1% were born in South America, 0.2% were born in Oceania, and 1.1% were born in Canada. The top countries of birth for immigrants in DuPage County are Mexico, India, Poland, the Philippines, and China.
The per-capita income in DuPage County was $88,588 according to 2022 data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This was the second highest of any county in Illinois, surpassed only by that of Lake County, located north of Chicago. As of 2022, DuPage County has a poverty rate of 6.7%, much lower than the national and state average. 8% of children under 18 and 6% of seniors in the county are in poverty.

2010 Census

There were 325,601 households, out of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.00% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the county, 26.70% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.20% was from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64 and 9.80% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females, age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $98,441 and the median income for a family was $113,086. Males had a median income of $60,909 versus $41,346 for females. The mean or average income for a family in DuPage County is $121,009, according to the 2005 census. The per capita income for the county was $38,458. About 2.40% of families and 3.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 4.30% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

DuPage County has several hundred Christian churches, and especially around Wheaton is a Bible Belt, with Wheaton College and various other evangelical Christian colleges, and publishing houses including InterVarsity Press, Crossway, Tyndale House, Christianity Today and other smaller ones in the area. Notable churches include megachurches like Community Christian Church in Naperville, Wheaton Bible Church, Christ Church in Oak Brook, and other large congregations like College Church. There is also a large Catholic population, the county being part of the Diocese of Joliet and the National Shrine of St Therese in Darien. There is also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Glendale Heights.
The Theosophical Society in America in Wheaton, the North American headquarters of the Theosophical Society Adyar, provides lectures and classes on theosophy, meditation, yoga, Eastern and New Age spirituality. Islamic mosques are located in Villa Park, Naperville, Glendale Heights, Willowbrook, Westmont, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Addison, Woodale, West Chicago, and unincorporated Glen Ellyn. There are Hindu temples in Bartlett, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Itasca and Medinah, and an Arya Samaj center in West Chicago. There is a Nichiren Shōshū Zen Buddhist temple in West Chicago and a Theravada Buddhist Temple, called the Buddha-Dharma Meditation Center, in Willowbrook. There is also a Reform synagogue, Congregation Etz Chaim, in Lombard and an unaffiliated one in Naperville, called Congregation Beth Shalom.

Economy

DuPage County is the primary location of the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor. It is home to many large corporations, including:
Shopping malls in DuPage County include Oakbrook Center, which is the largest open-air mall in the nation, Fox Valley Mall, Yorktown Center, Town Square Wheaton, and Stratford Square Mall. In addition, many of DuPage County's towns have prosperous and quaint downtown areas, especially in Naperville, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Downers Grove and Hinsdale, which are mixed with boutiques, upscale chain stores and restaurants.