Winnetka, Glencoe, Northfield, Boast High Education Level, Median Household Income

Glencoe’s a town filled with smart people, where one out of two residents 25 years or older hold a graduate degree, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Winnetka follows close behind with 47.8 percent of residents 25 years or older holding graduate degrees. In Northfield the figure is about 25 percent. 

With a highly educated population, high median household income and large population of families, perhaps it explains why Glencoe native Carly Goldstein decided to move back to the North Shore town after her twins were born, Chicago Tribune reported.

"When we made the decision to move out to the suburbs, there really wasn't a question about where we were going to go," Goldstein, 34, told Chicago Tribune.

The three North Shore suburbs all boast high percentage of families within their population, 76 percent in Winnetka, 73 percent in Glencoe and 65 percent in Northfield.

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The American Community Survey, which was collected nationally over a five-year span between 2007 and 2011, offers insight into different communities’ annual household income, home value, home vacancy, commute time and even language spoken at home, to name just a few.

Among the 288 Chicago-area communities surveyed, Winnetka, Glencoe and Northfield exceed the national average in median household income and percentage of residents with higher education degrees, Chicago Tribune reported.

Winnetka has the highest median household income at $208,750, followed by Glencoe ($174,931) and Northfield ($101,364).

Northfield residents on average spent the least time (26.4 minutes) commuting to work, while Glencoe residents spent on average about 35 minutes, and Winnetka residents spent about 33 minutes.

Winnetka

Glencoe

Northfield

Households

3,951

3,033

2,068

Families with children

51.1%

42.9%

31%

Families that are married

76%

73.2%

65%

Percentage of all families with income below the poverty line

2.3%

4.7%

0%

Median age

41

43.5

49.1

Population 25 years and over

7,377

5,485

3,851

College degrees

40.1%

31.3%

43.4%

Graduate degrees

47.8%

52.8%

24.9%

Median household income

$208,750

$174,931

$101,364

Home Value

Median value of owner-occupied homes

$992,800

$971,100

$618,600

Commute

Mean travel time to work in minutes

33.4

35.1

26.4

Drove alone to work

58.4%

55.9%

77.2%

Took public transportation to work

25.5%

22.6%

7.8%

Work from home

9.2%

13.1%

9.9%

Check back Tuesday for a comparison of North Shore communities.