Chicago metropolitan area

Chicago metropolitan area
Conurbation
Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI Combined Statistical Area
From top, left to right: Chicago skyline from Lakefront Trail at Northerly Island during sunrise, view of Gold Coast, aerial view Evanston, Downtown Naperville, view of Downtown Aurora
Map of Chicago–Naperville, IL–IN–WI CSA   City of Chicago Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN MSA   Chicago–Naperville–Schaumburg, IL   Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division   Lake County, IL Metropolitan Division   Lake County–Porter County–Jasper Cty, IN Other Statistical Areas in the Chicago CSA   Kenosha, WI MSA   Ottawa, IL µSA   Michigan City–La Porte, IN MSA   Kankakee, IL MSA
Country	United States
States	Illinois Indiana Wisconsin
Core city	Chicago
Satellite cities	- Aurora  - Elgin  - Crystal Lake  - Joliet  - Naperville  - Schaumburg  - Waukegan  - Kankakee  - Gary  - Hammond  - Michigan City  - Kenosha
Area
• Metro	10,856 sq mi (28,120 km2)
Highest elevation [1]	673 ft (205 m)
Lowest elevation [1]	579 ft (176 m)
Population
• Density	886/sq mi (342/km2)
• Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (2022)	9,441,957[2] (3rd)
• Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (2022)	9,806,184[3] (4th)
Demonym	Chicagolander
GDP [4]
• Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)	$894.862 billion (2023)
• Combined Statistical Area (CSA)	$919.229 billion (2023)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area codes	219, 224/847, 262, 312/872, 331/630, 574, 464/708, 773/872 and 779/815

The Chicago metropolitan area, also called Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwest. Encompassing 10,286 square mi (28,120 km²), the metropolitan area It contains the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs, satellite cities, and hinterland, spanning 13 counties across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. The MSA had a 2020 census population of 9,618,502, and the combined statistical area, which spans 19 counties and extends into southeast Wisconsin, had a population of nearly 10 million.^[5][6] The Chicago area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the fourth-largest in North America (after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles), and the largest in the Great Lakes megalopolis. Its urban area is the 50th-largest in the world.

According to the 2020 census, Chicagoland's population is approaching 10 million. The metropolitan area has seen a substantial increase of Latin American residents on top of its already large Latino population, and the Asian American population also increased. The metro area has a large number of White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Arab American residents, and also has Native American residents. The Chicago metropolitan area has about 3 percent of the U.S. population.

Chicagoland has one of the world's largest and most diversified economies. With more than six million full and part-time employees, the Chicago metropolitan area is a key factor of the Illinois economy. The state has an annual GDP of over $1 trillion,^[7] and the Chicago metropolitan area generated an annual gross regional product (GRP) of approximately $700 billion in 2018.^[8] The region is home to more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500,^[9] such as McDonald's, United, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. With many companies moving to Chicagoland, and many others expanding, the area ranked as the nation's top metropolitan area for corporation relocations and expansions for nine consecutive years, the most consecutive years for any region in the country.^[10]

The Chicago area is home to a number of the nation's leading research universities, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The University of Chicago and Northwestern University are consistently ranked as two of the world's best universities.

There are many transportation options around the region. Chicagoland has three separate rail networks: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and the South Shore Line. The CTA operates elevated and subway lines that run primarily in the city, Downtown Chicago, and some suburbs. The CTA operates some of its rail lines 24 hours a day, every day of the year, nonstop, making Chicago one of only three cities in the world (alongside New York City and Copenhagen) to offer 24-hour nonstop rail service everyday throughout their city limits. The Metra commuter rail network runs numerous lines between Downtown Chicago and suburban/satellite cities, with one line stretching to Kenosha, Wisconsin. The interurban South Shore Line runs between Downtown Chicago and the northwest Indiana portion of the metropolitan area. In addition, Amtrak's Union Station in Downtown Chicago is one of its largest hubs, with numerous lines radiating to and from it.

CTA bus routes serve the city proper, with some service into the suburbs. Pace bus routes serve the suburbs, with some service into the city. In addition, numerous CTA bus routes operate 24 hours a day, nonstop.