# Mount Prospect, Illinois

Mount Prospect is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is part of Elk Grove and Wheeling townships, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of O'Hare International Airport. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 56,852.

## Geography

Mount Prospect is located at 42°3′56″N 87°56′10″W﻿ / ﻿42.06556°N 87.93611°W﻿ / 42.06556; -87.93611 (42.065427, -87.936217).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Mount Prospect has a total area of 10.76 square miles (27.87 km$^2$), of which 10.72 square miles (27.76 km$^2$) (or 99.65%) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km$^2$) (or 0.35%) is water.

## Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Prospect lies within the Humid continental climate zone (or Dfa) in the warm summer type. The village experiences warm to hot and humid summers and frigid, snowy winters. The village lies within U.S.D.A Hardiness zone 5b, along the fringe of zone 6a.

## Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 56,852 people, 20,855 households, and 15,043 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,285.12 inhabitants per square mile (2,040.60/km$^2$). There were 22,835 housing units at an average density of 2,122.80 per square mile (819.62/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the village was 66.37% White, 2.69% African American, 0.68% Native American, 14.49% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.01% from other races, and 7.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.16% of the population.
There were 20,855 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.11% were married couples living together, 8.05% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.87% were non-families. 23.61% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.86% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 2.59.
The village's age distribution consisted of 22.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $84,353, and the median income for a family was $103,946. Males had a median income of $57,695 versus $41,193 for females. The per capita income for the village was $40,452. About 3.7% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Mount Prospect village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 41,548 | 37,355 | 36,463 | 73.84% | 68.96% | 64.14% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 979 | 1,230 | 1,459 | 1.74% | 2.27% | 2.57% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 41 | 47 | 30 | 0.07% | 0.09% | 0.05% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 6,276 | 6,312 | 8,192 | 11.15% | 11.65% | 14.41% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 24 | 11 | 15 | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 43 | 66 | 169 | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 734 | 738 | 1,338 | 1.30% | 1.36% | 2.35% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6,620 | 8,408 | 9,186 | 11.77% | 15.52% | 16.16% |
| Total | 56,265 | 54,167 | 56,852 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
In 2008, Mount Prospect was voted the best city in which to raise children.

## Economy

Companies based in Mount Prospect include Cummins Allison, NTN USA and Rauland-Borg.
The former United Airlines headquarters in Elk Grove Township was annexed into Mount Prospect in the 2010s.

### Top employers

According to the Village's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | CVS Caremark | 1,445 |
| 2 | Robert Bosch Tool Corporation | 650 |
| 3 | Cummins-Allison Corporation | 391 |
| 4 | Village of Mount Prospect | 380 |
| 5 | Rauland-Borg | 300 |
| 6 | Mount Prospect School District 57 | 293 |
| 7 | Carson Pirie Scott | 291 |
| 8 | Jewel-Osco Food Stores | 280 |
| 9 | Rainbow Hospice & Palliative Care | 240 |
| 10 | Prospect High School | 220 |

## Education

Mount Prospect has a number of award-winning school districts. It has multiple districts that serve the village. Central Mount Prospect is served by Mount Prospect School District 57. North (and somewhat east) Mount Prospect is served by River Trails School District 26. South (and somewhat west) Mount Prospect is served by Elk Grove Community Consolidated School District 59. A very small portion of northern Mount Prospect in its northernmost point is served by Buffalo Grove-Wheeling Community Consolidated District 21. A small part of north central Mount Prospect is also served by Arlington Heights School District 25. A small part of northwest Mount Prospect is served by Prospect Heights School District 23.
Township High School District 214 serves all of Mount Prospect; the town is served by multiple High Schools. Small numbers of students attend Elk Grove High School and Buffalo Grove High School. Prospect High School is the only one located within the village. The two Catholic parochial schools (K-8) located within Mount Prospect are St. Raymond and St. Emily.
The schools that service Mount Prospect are:

### Libraries

* Mount Prospect Public Library

## Places of interest

* Randhurst Village
* Mount Prospect Village Hall

## Parks and recreation

Multiple park districts serve the town: Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Prospect Heights, and River Trails.

## Transportation

The Mount Prospect station provides Metra commuter rail service along the Union Pacific Northwest Line. Trains travel southeast to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, and northwest to either Harvard station or McHenry station. Bus service in the village is provided by Pace.

## In popular culture

* In the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers (set in Chicago and vicinity), the car the Blues Brothers ride in is described as being bought at auction from the Mount Prospect Police Department.
A Mount Prospect Police cruiser appears in a season 11 episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”, as an homage to Blue Brothers.

## Notable people

* John Ankerberg, Christian evangelist
* Bruce Boxleitner, actor and science-fiction writer, best known for roles in TV series Babylon 5 and Scarecrow and Mrs. King and films Tron and Tron: Legacy; attended Prospect High School
* Ian Brennan, co-creator of Glee and Scream Queens; Prospect High School alumni
* Lee DeWyze, winner of American Idol Season 9; attended Prospect High School
* Brian Gregory, men's basketball coach at University of South Florida, Dayton and Georgia Tech; born in Mount Prospect
* Terry Moran, ABC News Senior National Correspondent; grew up in Mount Prospect and Barrington Hills
* Dave Kingman, 3-time MLB All-Star outfielder for Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets; attended Prospect High School
* Tom Lundstedt, baseball player, (Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins); attended Prospect High School
* Phil Masi, baseball player (Boston Braves, Chicago White Sox); died in Mount Prospect
* Timothy Miller, director of PR, Columbus Crew SC; attended St. Raymond School
* Jennifer Morrison, actress (House, Once Upon a Time, Star Trek Into Darkness); attended Prospect High School
* Pari Pantazopoulos, professional soccer player (Chicago Fire); attended Prospect High School
* Ed Paschke, highly acclaimed artist, a leader in the Chicago Imagist style; attended Arlington High School
* John Ratcliffe, U.S. Director of National Intelligence
* David J. Regner, Illinois state legislator and businessman; lived in Mount Prospect
* Beth Walker, Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, born in Mount Prospect
* Ben Weasel, lead singer and guitarist of band Screeching Weasel
* Karen Zambos, clothing designer; attended Wheeling High School
* David Kendziera, US Olympic athlete in the 400m hurdles