Chicago metropolitan area - Wikipedia Chicago metropolitan area `` Chicagoland '' redirects here. For other uses, see Chicagoland ( disambiguation ). Chicago Metropolitan Area Chicago - Naperville - Michigan City, IL - IN - WI CSA Metropolitan region Chicago Country United States State ( s ) Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Principal cities Chicago - Arlington Heights - Aurora - Berwyn - Bolingbrook - Cicero - Des Plaines - Elgin - Evanston - Gary - Hammond - Hoffman Estates - Joliet - Kenosha - Mount Prospect - Naperville - Oak Lawn - Oak Park - Orland Park - Palatine - Schaumburg - Skokie - Tinley Park - Waukegan - Wheaton Area Metro 10,856 sq mi ( 28,120 km ) Highest elevation 673 ft ( 205 m ) Lowest elevation 579 ft ( 176 m ) Population ( 2015 estimate ) Metropolitan region 9,472,676 Density 1,318 / sq mi ( 509 / km ) Ranked 3rd in the US Time zone CST ( UTC - 6 ) Summer ( DST ) CDT ( UTC - 5 ) Area codes 219, 224 / 847, 262, 312 / 872, 331 / 630, 574, 708, 773 / 872 and 779 / 815 The Chicago metropolitan area, or Chicagoland, is the metropolitan area that includes the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its suburbs. With an estimated population of 9.4 million people, it is the third largest metropolitan area in the United States. The Chicago metropolitan area is one of the world 's largest and most diversified economies, with more than four million employees and generating an annual gross regional product ( GRP ) of over $561 billion. The region is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500. There are several definitions of the area, including the area defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) as the Chicago - Joliet - Naperville, IL - IN - WI Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ), and the area under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning ( CMAP ) ( a metropolitan planning organization ). Contents 1 Definitions 1.1 Metropolitan statistical area 1.2 Combined Statistical Area 1.3 United Nations ' Chicago urban agglomeration 1.4 Chicagoland 1.5 Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning 2 Geography and environment 3 Demographics 4 Population 4.1 Principal municipalities 4.1. 1 Over 1,000,000 population 4.1. 2 Over 200,000 population 4.1. 3 Over 100,000 population 4.1. 4 Over 50,000 population 4.2 Urban areas within the Chicago CSA 5 Economy 6 Transportation 6.1 Major airports 6.2 Commercial ports 6.3 Rail and transit systems 6.4 Major highways 6.4. 1 Interstates 6.4. 2 Other main highways 6.4. 3 Major corridors 7 Culture 7.1 Sports 7.2 Cuisine 7.3 Media 8 Education 9 Area codes 9.1 Proposed overlays 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links Definitions Metropolitan Statistical area The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ) was originally designated by the United States Census Bureau in 1950. It comprised the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County in Indiana. As surrounding counties saw an increase in their population densities and the number of their residents employed within Cook County, they met Census criteria to be added to the MSA. The Chicago MSA, now defined as the Chicago - Naperville - Elgin, IL - IN - WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the third largest MSA by population in the United States. The 2015 census estimate for the MSA was 9,532,569, a decline from 9,543,893 in the 2014 census estimate. This loss of population has been attributed to taxes, political issues, and other factors. The Chicago MSA is further subdivided by state boundaries into the Chicago - Naperville - Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division, corresponding roughly to the CMAP region ; the Gary, IN Metropolitan Division consisting of the Indiana counties of Lake and Porter, as well as two surrounding counties ; and the Lake County - Kenosha County, IL - WI Metropolitan Division. A breakdown of the 2009 estimated populations of the three Metropolitan Divisions of the MSA are as follows : Chicago - Aurora - Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division ( 7,998,257 ) Cook County ( 5,287,037 ) DeKalb County ( 107,333 ) DuPage County ( 932,541 ) Grundy County ( 48,421 ) Kane County ( 511,892 ) Kendall County ( 104,821 ) McHenry County ( 320,961 ) Will County ( 685,251 ) Gary, IN Metropolitan Division ( 709,265 ) Jasper County ( IN ) ( 33,520 ) Lake County ( IN ) ( 496,478 ) Newton County ( IN ) ( 14,250 ) Porter County ( IN ) ( 165,017 ) Lake County - Kenosha County, IL - WI Metropolitan Division ( 877,949 ) Lake County ( IL ) ( 712,567 ) Kenosha County ( WI ) ( 165,382 ) Combined Statistical area The OMB also defines a slightly larger region as a Combined Statistical Area ( CSA ). The Chicago - Naperville, IL - IN - WI Combined Statistical Area combines the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Michigan City ( in Indiana ), and Kankakee ( in Illinois ). This area represents the extent of the labor market pool for the entire region. The CSA has a population of 9,928,312 ( 2014 estimate ). United Nations ' Chicago urban agglomeration The Chicago urban agglomeration, according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report ( 2011 revision ), lists a population of 9,545,000. The term `` urban agglomeration '' refers to the population contained within the contours of a contiguous territory inhabited at urban density levels. It usually incorporates the population in a city plus that in the surrounding area. Chicagoland Chicagoland by county and state. A map of Chicagoland in relation to the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. Chicagoland is an informal name for the Chicago metropolitan area. The term Chicagoland has no official definition, and the region is often considered to include areas beyond the corresponding MSA, as well as portions of the greater CSA. Colonel Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, usually gets credit for placing the term in common use. McCormick 's conception of Chicagoland stretched all the way to nearby parts of four states ( Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa ). The first usage was in the Tribune 's July 27, 1926 front page headline, `` Chicagoland 's Shrines : A Tour of Discoveries '', for an article by reporter James O'Donnell Bennett. He stated that Chicagoland comprised everything in a 200 - mile ( 320 km ) radius in every direction and reported on many different places in the area. The Tribune was the dominant newspaper in a vast area stretching to the west of the city, and that hinterland was closely tied to the metropolis by rail lines and commercial links. Today, the Chicago Tribune 's usage includes the city of Chicago, the rest of Cook County, eight nearby Illinois counties ( Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee ), and the two Indiana counties of Lake and Porter. Illinois Department of Tourism literature uses Chicagoland for suburbs in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties, treating the city separately. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce defines it as all of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Differing viewpoints exist, of course. For example, many residents who live in some of the more distant satellite counties nonetheless refer to themselves as being `` from Chicago '' or `` Chicagoans ''. Until recently, DeKalb County was not considered part of the region proper, but as the highly developed area has continued to expand, it is now commonly defined as the `` far suburbs '' of the city. In addition, company marketing programs such as Construction Data Company 's `` Chicago and Vicinity '' region and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association 's `` Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana '' advertising campaign are directed at the MSA itself, as well as LaSalle, Winnebago ( Rockford ), Boone, and Ogle counties in Illinois, in addition to Jasper, Newton, and La Porte counties in Indiana and Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties in Wisconsin, and even as far northeast as Berrien County, Michigan. The region is part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis, containing an estimated 54 million people. Chicago metropolitan Agency for planning Main article : Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning ( CMAP ) is an Illinois state agency responsible for transportation infrastructure, land use, and long term economic development planning for the areas under its jurisdiction within Illinois. The planning area has a population of over 8 million, which includes the following locations in Illinois : Cook County DuPage County Kane County Kendall County Lake County McHenry County Will County The Chicago skyline Geography and environment Further information : Geography of Chicago The city of Chicago lies in the Chicago Plain, a flat and broad area characterized by little topographical relief. The few low hills are sand ridges. North of the Chicago Plain, steep bluffs and ravines run alongside Lake Michigan. Along the southern shore of the Chicago Plain, sand dunes run alongside the lake. The tallest dunes reach up to near 200 feet ( 61 m ) and are found in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Surrounding the low plain are bands of moraines in the south and west suburbs. These areas are higher and hillier than the Chicago Plain. A continental divide, separating the Mississippi River watershed from that of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River, runs through the Chicago area. A 2012 survey of the urban trees and forests in the seven county Illinois section of the Chicago area found that 21 % of the land is covered by the tree and shrub canopy, made up of about 157,142,000 trees. The five most common tree species are buckthorn, green ash, boxelder, black cherry, and American elm. These resources perform important functions in carbon storage, water recycling, and energy saving. Demographics Airborne view of the dense southern part of Chicago, running alongside Lake Michigan. Downtown Chicago is at the far left by the lake in the photo. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area had a population of 9,729,825. The population density was 1,318 per square mile. The racial makeup was 52.8 % Non-Latino White, 22.1 % were Latino, 16.7 % were Non-Latino African Americans, and 6.4 % were Asian. Other ethnic groups such as Native Americans and Pacific Islanders made up just 2.0 % of the population. The suburbs, surrounded by easily annexed flat ground, have been expanding at a tremendous rate since the early 1960s. Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Naperville are noteworthy for being four of the few boomburbs outside the Sun Belt, West Coast and Mountain States regions, and exurban Kendall County ranked as the fastest - growing county ( among counties with a population greater than 10,000 ) in the United States between the years 2000 and 2007. Settlement patterns in the Chicago metropolitan area tend to follow those in the city proper : the northern suburbs along the shore of Lake Michigan are comparatively affluent, while the southern suburbs ( sometimes known as Chicago Southland ) are less so, with lower median incomes and a lower cost of living. However, there is a major exception to this. While Chicago 's West Side is the poorest section of the city, the western and northwestern suburbs contain many affluent areas. According to the 2000 Census, DuPage County had the highest median household income of any county in the Midwestern United States. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, poverty rates of the largest counties from least poverty to most are as follows : McHenry 3.70 %, Dupage 5.9 %, Will 6.7 %, Lake 6.9 %, Kane 7.4 %, Cook 14.5 %. In an in - depth historical analysis, Keating ( 2004, 2005 ) examined the origins of 233 settlements that by 1900 had become suburbs or city neighborhoods of the Chicago metropolitan area. The settlements began as farm centers ( 41 % ), industrial towns ( 30 % ), residential railroad suburbs ( 15 % ), and recreational / institutional centers ( 13 % ). Although relations between the different settlement types were at times contentious, there also was cooperation in such undertakings as the construction of high schools. Population As the Chicago metropolitan area has grown, more counties have been partly or totally assimilated with the taking of each decennial census. Census Area 2010 Census 2000 Census 1990 Census 1980 Census 1970 Census 1960 Census 1950 Census Chicago - Naperville - Joliet, IL - IN - WI MSA 9,461,105 9,098,316 8,065,633 7,869,542 7,612,314 6,794,461 5,495,364 Cook County, Illinois MSA 5,194,675 5,376,741 5,105,067 5,253,655 5,492,369 5,129,725 4,508,792 DeKalb County, Illinois MSA 105,160 88,969 77,932 74,624 71,654 51,714 40,781 DuPage County, Illinois MSA 916,924 904,161 781,666 658,835 491,882 313,459 154,599 Grundy County, Illinois MSA 50,063 37,535 32,337 30,582 26,535 22,350 19,217 Kane County, Illinois MSA 515,269 404,119 317,471 278,405 251,005 208,246 150,388 Kendall County, Illinois MSA 114,736 54,544 39,413 37,202 26,374 17,540 12,115 McHenry County, Illinois MSA 308,760 260,077 183,241 147,897 111,555 84,210 50,656 Will County, Illinois MSA 677,560 502,266 357,313 324,460 249,498 191,617 134,336 Jasper County, Indiana MSA 33,478 30,043 24,960 26,138 20,429 18,842 17,031 Lake County, Indiana MSA 496,005 484,564 475,594 522,965 546,253 513,269 368,152 Newton County, Indiana MSA 14,244 14,566 13,551 14,844 11,606 11,502 11,006 Porter County, Indiana MSA 164,343 146,798 128,932 119,816 87,114 60,279 40,076 Lake County, Illinois MSA 703,462 644,356 516,418 440,372 382,638 293,656 179,097 Kenosha County, Wisconsin MSA 166,426 149,577 128,181 123,137 117,917 100,615 75,238 Kankakee County, Illinois CSA 113,449 103,833 96,255 102,926 97,250 92,063 73,524 LaPorte County, Indiana CSA 111,467 110,106 107,066 108,632 105,342 95,111 76,808 Chicago - Naperville - Joliet, IL - IN - WI CSA 9,686,021 9,312,255 8,385,397 8,264,490 8,089,421 7,204,198 5,911,816 Counties highlighted in gray were not included in the MSA for that census. The CSA totals in blue are the totals of all the counties listed above, regardless of whether they were included in the Chicago Combined Statistical Area at the time. Principal municipalities Over 1,000,000 population Chicago, Illinois ( 2,695,598 within the city limits ) Over 200,000 population Aurora, Illinois ( 200,661 within the city limits ) Over 100,000 population Elgin, Illinois Joliet, Illinois Kenosha, Wisconsin Naperville, Illinois Over 50,000 population Arlington Heights, Illinois Berwyn, Illinois Bolingbrook, Illinois Cicero, Illinois Des Plaines, Illinois Racine, Wisconsin Evanston, Illinois Gary, Indiana Hammond, Indiana Mount Prospect, Illinois Oak Lawn, Illinois Oak Park, Illinois Orland Park, Illinois Palatine, Illinois Schaumburg, Illinois Skokie, Illinois Tinley Park, Illinois Waukegan, Illinois Wheaton, Illinois View of Chicago greater metropolitan region and the North branch of the Chicago River from the Willis Tower Urban areas within the Chicago CSA This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( March 2015 ) Within the boundary of the 16 - county Chicago Consolidated Statistical Area lies the Chicago urban area, as well as 27 smaller urban areas and clusters. Smallest gap indicates the shortest distance between the given urban area or cluster and the Chicago urban area. The extent of the 16 - county Chicago CSA ( in black ) and the 16 counties that share a border with the Chicago CSA ( in gray ), with counties divided into Minor Civil Divisions. In Illinois and Indiana, townships are intermediate between counties and municipalities ( with the latter lying within townships and crossing township borders, while in Michigan and Wisconsin, townships are municipal equivalents. Rank Urban area type Population ( 2000 census ) Land area ( km2 ) Smallest gap ( km ) Chicago - Aurora - Elgin - Joliet - Waukegan, IL - IN UA 8,307,904 5,498.1 n / a Round Lake Beach - McHenry - Grayslake, IL - WI ^ † UA 226,848 344.9 Kenosha, WI † UA 110,942 109.2 Michigan City - LaPorte, IN - MI ^ ^ † UA 66,199 86.1 5 Kankakee - Bradley - Bourbonnais, IL UA 65,073 71.5 > 10 6 DeKalb - Sycamore, IL UA 55,805 46.3 > 10 7 Woodstock, IL † UC 20,219 21.1 8 Morris, IL UC 13,927 19.3 > 10 9 Sandwich, IL ^ ^ ^ UC 12,248 23.9 > 10 10 Braidwood - Coal City, IL UC 11,607 19.5 > 10 11 Harvard, IL UC 8,575 13.3 > 10 12 Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN † UC 8,450 12.5 13 Lowell, IN UC 7,914 15.8 > 10 14 Wilmington, IL UC 7,107 20.8 > 10 15 Manteno, IL UC 7,106 9.4 > 10 16 Marengo, IL UC 6,854 8.6 > 10 17 Rensselaer, IN UC 6,096 10.9 > 10 18 Plano, IL † UC 5,911 6.5 19 Genoa, IL UC 5,137 5.5 > 10 20 Genoa City, WI - IL ^ ^ ^ ^ † UC 5,126 12.5 > 10 21 Westville, IN UC 5,077 4.4 > 10 22 Hebron, IN UC 4,150 11.7 > 10 23 Momence, IL UC 3,711 9.7 > 10 24 Peotone, IL † UC 3,358 3.5 9 25 Wonder Lake, IL † UC 2,798 2.0 5 26 Monee, IL † UC 2,787 3.7 27 Union Township, Porter County, IN † UC 2,593 4.9 28 Hampshire, IL † UC 2,591 2.0 6 The formerly distinct urban areas of Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan were absorbed into the Chicago UA as of the 2000 census. † These urban areas and urban clusters are expected to be joined to the Chicago Urban Area by the next census in 2010. ^ The Round Lake Beach - McHenry - Grayslake, IL - WI UA extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies in the Milwaukee CSA. ^ ^ The Michigan City - LaPorte, IN - MI UA extends into Berrien County, MI, which lies ( for the moment ) outside the Chicago CSA. ^ ^ ^ The Sandwich, IL UC extends into LaSalle County, IL, which lies ( for the moment ) outside the Chicago CSA. ^ ^ ^ ^ The Genoa City, WI - IL UC extends into Walworth County, WI, which lies in the Milwaukee CSA. Economy Westward view from the Willis Tower in Chicago Main article : Economy of Chicago See also : List of companies in the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Economy of Illinois The Chicago metropolitan area is home to the corporate headquarters of 57 Fortune 1000 companies, which includes Boeing, McDonald 's, Motorola, Discover Financial Services, United Continental Holdings, Walgreens, and Aon among others, representing a diverse group of industries. The area is a major global financial center, and Chicago is home to the largest futures exchange in the world, the CME Group ( Chicago Mercantile Exchange ). In March 2008, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange announced its acquisition of NYMEX Holdings Inc, the parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange and Commodity Exchange. CME 'S acquisition of NYMEX was completed in August 2008. A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of beef and pork. The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, crude oil derivatives, automobiles, and industrial capital goods. By the early 2000s, Illinois ' economy had moved toward a dependence on high - value - added services, such as financial trading, higher education, logistics, and health care. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois 's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global derivatives, had begun its life as an agricultural futures market. In 2007, the area ranked first among U.S. metro areas in the number of new and expanded corporate facilities. It ranked third in 2008, behind the Houston -- Sugar Land -- Baytown and Dallas -- Fort Worth metropolitan areas, and ranked second behind the New York metropolitan area in 2009. The Wall Street Journal summarized the Chicago area 's economy in November 2006 with the comment that `` Chicago has survived by repeatedly reinventing itself. '' Transportation O'Hare Airport Chicago ' L ' in the Loop Metra surface rail The Eisenhower Expressway with the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train Main articles : Transportation in Chicago and Roads and freeways in Chicago Major airports Chicago O'Hare International Airport ( ORD ) Chicago Midway International Airport ( MDW ) General Mitchell International Airport ( MKE ) ( located in the adjacent Milwaukee metropolitan area ) Gary / Chicago International Airport ( GYY ) Chicago Rockford International Airport ( RFD ) ( located in the adjacent Rockford metropolitan area ) Commercial ports Port of Chicago Port of Indiana - Burns Harbor Rail and transit systems Chicago Transit Authority trains, locally referred to as `` the ' L ' ``, ( after `` elevated train '' ) serving Chicago and the near suburbs Pace Suburban Bus operates suburban bus and regional vanpool, paratransit and ridematching services in the Chicagoland region. Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, also known as Metra : 4 lines serving southern Cook County and Will County 3 lines serving western Cook County, DuPage County, and Kane County 1 line serving northwestern Cook County and McHenry County 3 lines serving northern Cook County and Lake County, with 1 line extending to Kenosha, Wisconsin South Shore Line shares the Metra electric lines and connects Chicago to Gary, Michigan City, ending at South Bend, Indiana. Amtrak operates Union Station which is the major Amtrak passenger rail hub with connections to Metra and the L. Major highways Interstates Interstate 55 ( I - 55 ) is the Adlai Stevenson Expy. I - 355 is the Veterans Memorial Tollway ( formerly North - South Tollway ). I - 57 is unofficially the `` West Leg '' of the Dan Ryan Expy. I - 65 has no name, whether official or unofficial. I - 80 is officially called the Borman Expy ( cosigned with I - 94 ), Kingery Expy ( cosigned with I - 80 for 3 miles ), Tri-State Tollway ( cosigned with I - 294 for 4 miles ) and is unofficially called the Moline Expy west of I - 294. I - 88 is the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway ( formerly East - West Tollway ) I - 90 is locally known as Jane Addams Tollway ( formerly Northwest Tollway ), John F Kennedy Expy ( cosigned with I - 94 ), Dan Ryan Expy ( cosigned with I - 94 ), and Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge. The Chicago Skyway is disputed since around 2000 if it actually is I - 90. Currently it is signed as `` To I - 90 '' in both directions. I - 190 is the John F Kennedy Expy spur heading into Chicago - O'Hare Int'l Airport. I - 290 is the Dwight D Eisenhower Expy. I - 94 is Tri-State Tollway in Lake County, Edens Spur, Edens Expy, John F Kennedy Expy ( cosigned with I - 90 ), Dan Ryan Expy ( cosigned with I - 90 ), Bishop Ford Frwy ( formerly Calumet Expy ), Kingery Expy ( cosigned with I - 80 ) and Borman Expy ( cosigned with I - 80 ). I - 294 is the Tri-State Tollway. Other main highways US Routes in the Illinois part of the area include : US 6, US 12, US 14, US 20, US 30, US 34, US 41, US 45, and US 52. Illinois Route 53, an arterial north -- south state highway running through Grundy, Will, DuPage, Cook and Lake counties Historic US Route 66 's eastern terminus is in Chicago. Major corridors In addition to the Chicago Loop, the metro area is home to a few important subregional corridors of commercial activities. Among them are : Illinois Technology and Research Corridor, along the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway ( Interstate 88 ) Golden Corridor, along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway ( Interstate 90 ) Culture Sports Main article : Sports in Chicago Listing of the professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area Major league professional teams : Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox National Football League ( NFL ) Chicago Bears National Basketball Association ( NBA ) Chicago Bulls National Hockey League ( NHL ) Chicago Blackhawks Major League Soccer ( MLS ) Chicago Fire Other professional teams : Women 's National Basketball Association ( WNBA ) Chicago Sky Minor League Baseball ( MiLB ) Kane County Cougars American Hockey League ( AHL ) Chicago Wolves National Women 's Soccer League ( NWSL ) Chicago Red Stars Arena Football ( AFL ) Chicago Rush ( Operations suspended in 2013, no longer part of the AFL ) National Pro Fastpitch ( NPF ) Chicago Bandits The Chicagoland Speedway oval track has hosted NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series races. The Chicago Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors. The Western Open and BMW Championship are PGA Tour tournaments that have been held primarily at golf courses near Chicago. NCAA Division 1 College Sports Teams : Big East Conference DePaul University Blue Demons Big Ten Conference Northwestern University Wildcats ( Evanston ) Horizon League University of Illinois - Chicago Flames Valaparaiso University Crusaders ( Valaparaiso, IN ) Mid-American Conference Northern Illinois University Huskies ( DeKalb ) Missouri Valley Conference Loyola University - Chicago Ramblers Western Athletic Conference Chicago State University Cougars Cuisine Further information : Chicago § Cuisine Chicago - style hot dog Chicago - style pizza Italian beef Media Main article : Media in Chicago The two main newspapers are the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun - Times. Local television channels broadcasting to the Chicago market include WBBM - TV 2 ( CBS ), WMAQ - TV 5 ( NBC ), WLS - TV 7 ( ABC ), WGN - TV 9 ( CW ), WTTW 11 ( PBS ), WYCC 20 ( PBS ), MeTV 23, WCIU 26 ( Ind ), WFLD 32 ( FOX ), WCPX - TV 38 ( Ion ), WSNS - TV 44 ( Telemundo ) WPWR - TV 50 ( MyNetworkTV ), and WJYS - TV 62 ( The Way ). CLTV is a 24 / 7 local news provider available only to cable subscribers. Radio stations serving the area include : WBEZ, WMBI, WLS - AM, and WSCR. Education Further information : List of school districts in Illinois, List of school districts in Indiana, and List of colleges and universities in Chicago Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago Elementary and secondary education within the Chicago metropolitan area is provided by dozens of different school districts, of which by far the largest is the Chicago Public Schools with 400,000 students. Numerous private and religious school systems are also found in the region, as well as a growing number of charter schools. Racial inequalities in education in the region remain widespread, often breaking along district boundaries ; for instance, educational prospects vary widely for students in the Chicago Public Schools compared to those in some neighboring suburban schools. Historically, the Chicago metropolitan area has been at the center of a number of national educational movements, from the free - flowing Winnetka Plan to the regimented Taylorism of the Gary Plan. In higher education, University of Chicago founder William Rainey Harper was a leading early advocate of the junior college movement ; Joliet Junior College is the nation 's oldest continuously - operating junior college today. Later U of C president Robert Maynard Hutchins was central to the Great Books movement, and programs of dialogic education arising from that legacy can be found today at the U of C, at Shimer College, and in the City Colleges of Chicago and Oakton Community College in the Northwest suburbs. Area codes Main article : List of Illinois area codes From 1947 until 1988, the Illinois portion of the Chicago metro area was served by a single area code, 312, which abutted the 815 area code. In 1988 the 708 area code was introduced and the 312 area code became exclusive to the city of Chicago. It became common to call suburbanites `` 708'ers '', in reference to their area code. The 708 area code was partitioned in 1996 into three area codes, serving different portions of the metro area : 630, 708, and 847. At the same time that the 708 area code was running out of phone numbers, the 312 area code in Chicago was also exhausting its supply of available numbers. As a result, the city of Chicago was divided into two area codes, 312 and 773. Rather than divide the city by a north / south area code, the central business district retained the 312 area code, while the remainder of the city took the new 773 code. In 2002, the 847 area code was supplemented with the overlay area code 224. In February 2007, the 815 area code ( serving outlying portions of the metro area ) was supplemented with the overlay area code 779. In October 2007, the overlay area code 331 was implemented to supplement the 630 area with additional numbers. Plans are in place for overlay codes in the 708, 773, and 312 regions as those area codes become exhausted in the future. 312 Chicago - City ( The Loop and central neighborhoods, e.g. the Near North Side ) 773 Chicago - City ( Everywhere else within the city limits, excluding central area ) 872 Chicago - City ( overlay for 312 & 773, effective November 7, 2009 ) 847 / 224 ( North and Northwest Suburbs ) 630 / 331 ( Outer Western Suburbs ) 708 ( South and Near West Suburbs ) 815 / 779 ( Rockford & Joliet : Far Northwest / Southwest Suburbs ) 219 ( Northwest Indiana ) 574 ( North - central Indiana ) 262 ( Southeast Wisconsin surrounding Milwaukee County ) Proposed overlays 464 overlay for 708 ( no effective date ) See also Portals Access related topics Chicago portal Illinois portal United States portal References ^ Jump up to : `` Elevations of the 50 Largest Cities ''. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 23 January 2016. Chicago city proper only ^ Jump up to : `` Annual Estimates of the Resident Population : April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 - United States -- Combined Statistical Area ; and for Puerto Rico 2014 Population Estimates '' ( CSV ). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Economy ''. Worldbusinesschicago.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017. Jump up ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. `` Combined statistical area population and estimated components of change : April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 ( CSA - EST2016 - alldata ) ''. census.gov. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 27. Jump up ^ Eltagouri, Marwa. `` Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city, region in 2015 ''. chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 27. Jump up ^ `` CSA - EST2009 - alldata ''. United States Census Bureau. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original ( csv ) on July 8, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2011. The MSA covers 7,214 sq. mi. of land area and 2,367 sq. mi. of water area. The total area of the MSA is 9,581 sq. mi. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived April 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ As defined by Construction Data Company. ^ Jump up to : Fuller, Jack ( 2005 ). `` Chicagoland ''. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Press : The Colonel 's Century ''. TIME. June 9, 1947. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ O'Donnell Bennett, James ( July 27, 1926 ). `` Chicagoland 's Shrines : A Tour of Discoveries ''. Chicago Daily Tribune ( 1923 - 1963 ). Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ Cronon ( 1992 ) ; Keating ( 2005 ) ; Keating ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ `` Classifieds map of Chicagoland ''. Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2011 - 05 - 30. Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Archived November 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` About Chicagoland ''. Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Bidtool Coverage area : Chicago, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Kentucky project leads ''. Bidtool.net. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning ''. Chicagoareaplanning.org. Archived from the original on August 12, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ `` About - CMAP ''. Cmap.illinois.gov. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Urban trees and forests of the Chicago region ''. Nrs.fs.fed.us. 2013 - 09 - 17. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Regional Tree Census The Morton Arboretum ''. Mortonarb.org. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Census Findings of Chicago Metropolitan Area '' ( PDF ). The Chicago Community Trust. Retrieved July 1, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Kendall County is fastest growing in the nation ''. Daily Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Historical Metropolitan Area Definitions ''. Census.gov. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Alphabetically sorted list of UAs ''. U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved August 6, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Fortune 500 2008 : States - Illinois ''. CNN. Jump up ^ RON STARNER. `` TOP METROS OF 2007 - Site Selection magazine, March 2008 ''. Siteselection.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ RON STARNER ( March 9, 2009 ). `` TOP METROS OF 2008 - Site Selection magazine, March 2009 ''. Siteselection.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ `` TOP METROS OF 2009 - Site Selection Magazine, March 2010 ''. Siteselection.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011. Jump up ^ Brat, Ilan ( November 8, 2006 ). `` Tale of a Warehouse Shows How Chicago Weathers a Decline ''. The Wall Street Journal. p. A1. Retrieved February 20, 2010. Jump up ^ AFL Issues Statement on Rush, Blaze, Chicago Rush Media Relations, ArenaRush.com, September 9, 2013 Jump up ^ `` About CPS ''. Chicago Public Schools. Retrieved January 26, 2015. Jump up ^ Moore, Natalie ( November 12, 2014 ). `` Why so few white kids land in CPS -- and why it matters ''. WBEZ. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015. Jump up ^ Bogira, Steve ( October 17, 2012 ). `` Two students, two high schools, two divergent paths to college ''. Chicago Reader. Jump up ^ Thiede, Robert. `` Gary Plan ''. Britannica.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Sydow, Debbie ; Alfred, Richard ( 2012 ). Re-visioning Community Colleges : Positioning for Innovation. p. 13. ISBN 1442214880. Jump up ^ Ronson, Jon ( December 6, 2014 ). `` Shimer College : The Worst School in America ? ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ `` Great Books program ''. Oakton Community College. Retrieved January 26, 2015. Further reading Fischer, Paul B. ( Lake Forest College ) `` RACIAL AND LOCATIONAL PATTERNS OF SUBSIDIZED HOUSING IN THE CHICAGO SUBURBS : A REPORT TO THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION. '' ( Archive ) - July 28, 1993 - Report to the MacArthur Foundation Lewinnek, Elaine. The Working Man 's Reward : Chicago 's Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl. Oxford, England : Oxford University Press, 2014. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chicago metropolitan area. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chicagoland. US Census ' Urbanized Area Outline Map ( 2000 ) Chicago - Naperville - Michigan City, IL - IN - WI Combined Statistical Area ( 2003 ) map U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts U.S. Census Bureau population estimates Cook County Jail Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas About Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Historical Metropolitan Area Definitions Chicago metropolitan area Major city Chicago Cities ( over 30,000 in 2010 ) Aurora Berwyn Calumet City Chicago Heights Crystal Lake DeKalb Des Plaines Elgin Elmhurst Evanston Gary Hammond Joliet Kenosha Naperville North Chicago Park Ridge Portage St. Charles Valparaiso Waukegan Wheaton Towns and villages ( over 30,000 in 2010 ) Addison Algonquin Arlington Heights Bartlett Bolingbrook Buffalo Grove Carol Stream Carpentersville Cicero Downers Grove Elk Grove Village Glendale Heights Glenview Gurnee Hanover Park Hoffman Estates Lombard Merrillville Mount Prospect Mundelein Northbrook Oak Lawn Oak Park Orland Park Oswego Palatine Plainfield Romeoville Schaumburg Skokie Streamwood Tinley Park Wheeling Woodridge Counties Cook DeKalb DuPage Grundy Jasper Kane Kendall Kenosha Lake, IL Lake, IN McHenry Newton Porter Will Regions Great Lakes Northern Illinois Northern Indiana Sub-regions Chicago Southland Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox Valley ( Illinois ) Golden Corridor Illinois Technology and Research Corridor North Shore ( Chicago ) Northwest Indiana Illinois, United States City of Chicago Architecture Beaches Climate Colleges and universities Community areas Crime Culture Demographics Economy companies Expressways Flag Geography Government Harbor History Politics Timeline Landmarks Literature Media Museums Neighborhoods Parks People Performing arts music theater Public schools list Skyscrapers Sports Tourism Transportation Visual arts Portal Cook County Metropolitan area Illinois United States State of Illinois Springfield ( capital ) Topics Index Buildings and structures Census areas Communications Culture Delegations Earthquakes Economy Education Energy Environment Geography Government Health History Languages Law Music People Politics Portal Protected areas Society Sports Tourism Transportation Windmills Seal of Illinois Regions American Bottom Central Illinois Champaign -- Urbana metropolitan area Chicago metropolitan area Collar counties Corn Belt Driftless Area Forgottonia Fox Valley Illinois - Indiana - Kentucky tri-state area Metro East Metro Lakeland Mississippi Alluvial Plain North Shore Northern Illinois Northwestern Illinois Peoria metropolitan area Quad Cities River Bend Rockford metropolitan area Southern Illinois Streatorland Wabash Valley Cities, towns and villages Alton / Granite City / Edwardsville Arlington Heights / Palatine Aurora / Naperville / Oswego / Plainfield Bartlett / Hanover Park / Streamwood Belleville / East St. Louis / Collinsville / O'Fallon Berwyn / Cicero Bloomington / Normal Bolingbrook / Romeoville Buffalo Grove / Wheeling Calumet City Canton Carbondale Carol Stream / Glendale Heights Centralia Champaign / Urbana Charleston / Mattoon Chicago Chicago Heights Crystal Lake / Algonquin Danville Decatur DeKalb / Sycamore Des Plaines / Mount Prospect / Park Ridge Dixon Downers Grove / Woodridge Effingham Elgin / Carpentersville Elmhurst / Lombard / Addison Evanston / Skokie Freeport Galesburg Glenview / Northbrook Harrisburg Jacksonville Joliet Kankakee / Bradley / Bourbonnais Lincoln Macomb Marion / Herrin Moline / East Moline / Rock Island Mount Vernon Mundelein Oak Lawn Oak Park Orland Park / Tinley Park Ottawa / Streator / LaSalle / Peru Peoria / Pekin / East Peoria / Morton / Washington Pontiac Quincy Rochelle Rockford / Belvidere / Machesney Park / Loves Park St. Charles Schaumburg / Hoffman Estates / Elk Grove Village Springfield Sterling / Rock Falls Taylorville Waukegan / North Chicago / Gurnee Wheaton Counties Adams Alexander Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun Carroll Cass Champaign Christian Clark Clay Clinton Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland DeKalb DeWitt Douglas DuPage Edgar Edwards Effingham Fayette Ford Franklin Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton Hancock Hardin Henderson Henry Iroquois Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jersey Jo Daviess Johnson Kane Kankakee Kendall Knox LaSalle Lake Lawrence Lee Livingston Logan Macon Macoupin Madison Marion Marshall Mason Massac McDonough McHenry McLean Menard Mercer Monroe Montgomery Morgan Moultrie Ogle Peoria Perry Piatt Pike Pope Pulaski Putnam Randolph Richland Rock Island Saline Sangamon Schuyler Scott Shelby St. Clair Stark Stephenson Tazewell Union Vermilion Wabash Warren Washington Wayne White Whiteside Will Williamson Winnebago Woodford State of Indiana Indianapolis ( capital ) Topics Index Geography Government Governor ( List ) Congressional districts ( Delegations ) History City Nicknames National Historic Landmarks State parks Symbols Transportation Tourist Attractions Index of Indiana - related articles Outline Seal of Indiana Society Hoosiers Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Party strength Sports Regions Central Indiana East Central Indiana Wabash Valley Northern Indiana Northeast Indiana Northwest Indiana Michiana Southern Indiana Indiana Uplands Kentuckiana Southwestern Indiana Largest cities Anderson Bloomington Carmel Columbus Elkhart Evansville Fishers Fort Wayne Gary Goshen Greenwood Hammond Indianapolis Jeffersonville Kokomo Lafayette Lawrence Michigan City Mishawaka Muncie New Albany Noblesville Portage Richmond South Bend Terre Haute Valparaiso Westfield Largest towns Brownsburg Clarksville Highland Merrillville Munster Plainfield Schererville Counties Adams Allen Bartholomew Benton Blackford Boone Brown Carroll Cass Clark Clay Clinton Crawford Daviess Dearborn Decatur DeKalb Delaware Dubois Elkhart Fayette Floyd Fountain Franklin Fulton Gibson Grant Greene Hamilton Hancock Harrison Hendricks Henry Howard Huntington Jackson Jasper Jay Jefferson Jennings Johnson Knox Kosciusko LaGrange Lake LaPorte Lawrence Madison Marion Marshall Martin Miami Monroe Montgomery Morgan Newton Noble Ohio Orange Owen Parke Perry Pike Porter Posey Pulaski Putnam Randolph Ripley Rush Saint Joseph Scott Shelby Spencer Starke Steuben Sullivan Switzerland Tippecanoe Tipton Union Vanderburgh Vermillion Vigo Wabash Warren Warrick Washington Wayne Wells White Whitley State of Wisconsin Madison ( capital ) Topics History Governors Delegations Sports People Geography Tourist attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Apostle Islands Central Plain Central Wisconsin Chippewa Valley Door Peninsula Driftless Area Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox River Valley Great River Road Lake Superior Lowland Northern Highland Western Upland Major metropolitan areas ( pop. over 500,000 ) Chicago metropolitan area Madison metropolitan area Milwaukee metropolitan area Twin Cities metropolitan area Largest cities ( pop. over 50,000 ) Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay Janesville Kenosha La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Racine Waukesha West Allis Smaller cities ( pop. 15,000 to 50,000 ) Beaver Dam Beloit Brookfield Cudahy De Pere Fitchburg Fond du Lac Franklin Greenfield Hudson Kaukauna Manitowoc Marshfield Menasha Menomonie Mequon Middleton Muskego Neenah New Berlin Oak Creek Oconomowoc Onalaska River Falls Sheboygan South Milwaukee Stevens Point Sun Prairie Superior Watertown Wausau Wauwatosa West Bend Wisconsin Rapids Largest villages ( pop. over 15,000 ) Ashwaubenon Caledonia Germantown Howard Menomonee Falls Mount Pleasant Pleasant Prairie Counties Adams Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Door Douglas Dunn Eau Claire Florence Fond du Lac Forest Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Iron Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marinette Marquette Menominee Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Portage Price Racine Richland Rock Rusk Sauk Sawyer Shawano Sheboygan St. Croix Taylor Trempealeau Vernon Vilas Walworth Washburn Washington Waukesha Waupaca Waushara Winnebago Wood The 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas of the United States of America New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Houston, TX Washington, DC Philadelphia, PA Miami, FL Atlanta, GA Boston, MA San Francisco, CA Phoenix, AZ Riverside, CA Detroit, MI Seattle, WA Minneapolis, MN San Diego, CA Tampa, FL Denver, CO St. Louis, MO Baltimore, MD Charlotte, NC San Juan, PR Orlando, FL San Antonio, TX Portland, OR Pittsburgh, PA Sacramento, CA Cincinnati, OH Las Vegas, NV Kansas City, MO Austin, TX Columbus, OH Cleveland, OH Indianapolis, IN San Jose, CA Nashville, TN Virginia Beach, VA Providence, RI Milwaukee, WI Jacksonville, FL Memphis, TN Oklahoma City, OK Louisville, KY Richmond, VA New Orleans, LA Hartford, CT Raleigh, NC Birmingham, AL Buffalo, NY Salt Lake City, UT Rochester, NY Grand Rapids, MI Tucson, AZ Honolulu, HI Tulsa, OK Fresno, CA Bridgeport, CT Worcester, MA Albuquerque, NM Omaha, NE Albany, NY New Haven, CT Bakersfield, CA Knoxville, TN Greenville, SC Oxnard, CA El Paso, TX Allentown, PA Baton Rouge, LA McAllen, TX Dayton, OH Columbia, SC Greensboro, NC Sarasota, FL Little Rock, AR Stockton, CA Akron, OH Charleston, SC Colorado Springs, CO Syracuse, NY Winston - Salem, NC Cape Coral, FL Boise, ID Wichita, KS Springfield, MA Madison, WI Lakeland, FL Ogden, UT Toledo, OH Deltona, FL Des Moines, IA Jackson, MS Augusta, GA Scranton, PA Youngstown, OH Harrisburg, PA Provo, UT Palm Bay, FL Chattanooga, TN United States Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2012 Coordinates : 41 ° 54 ′ N 87 ° 39 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 41.900 ° N 87.650 ° W ﻿ / 41.900 ; - 87.650 GND : 4229736 - 9 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicago_metropolitan_area&oldid=804790985 '' Categories : Chicago metropolitan area Chicago Metropolitan areas of Illinois Metropolitan areas of Indiana Metropolitan areas of Wisconsin Regions of Illinois Regions of Indiana Regions of Wisconsin Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from May 2015 Pages using infobox settlement with unknown parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015 All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from July 2015 All articles that may contain original research Articles that may contain original research from July 2015 Wikipedia articles in need of updating from March 2015 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano עברית Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Português Română Русский Scots Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 11 October 2017, at 05 : 04. 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Question: what's the population of the greater chicago area
Answer: 9.4 million