Will County Profile
Will County is well positioned for business growth for the next twenty years. Our strategic location, available and affordable land, tremendous highway, rail, water, and air transportation assets, and more than 190 million square feet of industrial space make us a very desirable location for business and industry. Couple that with a robust, highly skilled local and regional workforce, low property taxes, and a pro-growth attitude among its thirty-seven municipalities Will County is a leading “job growth engine” in the Midwest. Will County has added over 17,000 jobs in the last 3 years. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
With the opening of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in 2002 Will County established itself as a Global Transportation Center. Since the opening of BNSF Logistics Park Chicago intermodal facility in Elwood and the Union Pacific’s Global IV intermodal center in Joliet, Will County has become the Largest Inland Port in North America, handling over 3 million TEU containers annually.
Will County’s status as the largest inland port in North America provides benefits to businesses seeking reliable connections to global markets, reduced transportation costs, and supply chain diversification. In addition to the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics industry cluster, Will County is also focused on recruiting and growing businesses in the Advanced Manufacturing, Food Processing, Energy and Life Sciences industry sectors. Our public and private higher education institutions support this growth by developing programs to meet the needs of employers today and in the future.
In addition:
With the opening of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center in 2002 Will County established itself as a Global Transportation Center. Since the opening of BNSF Logistics Park Chicago intermodal facility in Elwood and the Union Pacific’s Global IV intermodal center in Joliet, Will County has become the Largest Inland Port in North America, handling over 3 million TEU containers annually.
Will County’s status as the largest inland port in North America provides benefits to businesses seeking reliable connections to global markets, reduced transportation costs, and supply chain diversification. In addition to the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics industry cluster, Will County is also focused on recruiting and growing businesses in the Advanced Manufacturing, Food Processing, Energy and Life Sciences industry sectors. Our public and private higher education institutions support this growth by developing programs to meet the needs of employers today and in the future.
In addition:
- Will County, covering 850 square miles, is one of 102 counties in Illinois. It is part of the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
- Will County experienced a 34% population increase between 2000 and 2010 and 2.0% between 2010 and 2018. The current population is estimated to be 696,215. (Federal Reserve)
- The U.S. Census Bureau lists Will County as one of the 100 largest counties by population in the nation, and the 4th most populous county in Illinois.
- The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) projects that Will County’s population will exceed 1 million by the year 2050.
- The median family income is $85,488, 6th-highest in Illinois (US Census 2018)
- The median home value is $238,502, up 7% over 2018. (Zillow, Dec. 2019)
- 97% of the labor force is employed; 17.7% work in goods-producing jobs, outpacing both State and national averages. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- In 2018, Will County had a per capita personal income of $52,953, an increase of 4% from the previous year. (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
- Will County added 1,594 housing units in 2018, and 1,431 through November 2019 (HUD)
- The number of Will County business establishments is approximately 15,079. (U.S. Census)
- The total amount of industrial square footage is 190 million square feet within 2,000 buildings. (Costar)
- The region has a civilian labor force of 355,481 with a participation rate of 64.3%. 34% of Will County residents possess a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. (Census Bureau)
- Will County is home to a number of higher education institutions: DeVry University, Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, Lewis University, Rasmussen University and University of Saint Francis.
