Evanston is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 75,070 people and 19 associated neighborhoods, Evanston is the 14th largest community in Illinois. Much of the housing stock in Evanston was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Evanston home prices are not only among the most expensive in Illinois, but Evanston real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Evanston has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Evanston is also a city of artists. Evanston has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Evanston’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Evanston telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 25.53% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because there are quite a few people attending college in Evanston, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Evanston provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.

Not only is Evanston a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Evanston a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Evanston is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Evanston area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Evanston is a pretty powerful place. 70.30% of the adults in Evanston have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Evanston in 2022 was $65,988, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $263,952 for a family of four. However, Evanston contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Evanston is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Evanston home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Evanston residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Evanston also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 12.34% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Evanston include German, Irish, English, Polish, and Italian.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Evanston's cultural character, accounting for 16.54% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Evanston is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.