Real Estate
North Shore Towns Among Nation's Richest ZIP Codes
2 of the top 20 most affluent communities in the country are on Chicago's North Shore.
One North Shore town is among the richest of the richest communities in the nation, according to an analysis of IRS data sorted by ZIP codes. Kenilworth's 60043 was the highest ranked community in Illinois and eighth most affluent in the country, according to Bloomberg.
Three of the next five richest zones in the Midwest were also on the North Shore, with Glencoe and Winnetka rounding out the top three. Lake Forest was ranked sixth in the region, just behind 60604 in downtown Chicago and Ladue, Missouri in St. Louis' western suburbs.
The Bloomberg rankings were established using the average household adjusted gross income using data from tax returns. The report examined more than 22,000 ZIP codes. Each needed at least 500 residential households and at least 200 tax returns filed in 2015 to meet its requirements.
Find out what's happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The 5 wealthiest North Shore ZIP codes
| Rank (Region/Nation) | Top Zip Code | AGI | AGI % Change | Salary $'000 | 5Y Sal Change % | Median Home | # of returns |
| 1st / 8th | Kenilworth, 60043 | $861,000 | 71.6% | $435,900 | - | $1.32M | 1,200 |
| 2nd / 19th | Glencoe, 60022 | $633,700 | 14.6% | $290,800 | 12% | $0.95M | 3,900 |
| 3rd / 27th | Winnetka, 60093 | $583,300 | 30.9% | $304,100 | 23.2% | $0.91M | 9,600 |
| 6th / 58th | Lake Forest, 60045 | $464,700 | 29.8% | $281,800 | 18.4% | $0.77M | 10,000 |
| 17th / 155th | Highland Park, 60035 | $307,500 | 42.6% | $150,600 | 23.2% | $0.5M | 15,200 |
Find out what's happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Kenilworth's most expensive real estate listing is the 1896 Daniel Burnham-designed classical mansion at 326 Essex Road.
According to public records, the propery sold in 2005 for $2.1 million and was listed in 2012 for $9 million after its listed owner was convicted of fraud. It was then purchased in 2016 for $3.23 million through a Bahamas-based LLC — shortly before it was relisted for an asking price of $7.75 million. According to the Cook County Assessor, its estimated 2018 market value is just under $2 million. (It's also available to rent for $50,000 a month.)
Meanwhile, the most affordable active listings in Kenilworth will set you back more than $400,000 for less than 1,500 square feet.
According to Bloomberg, the richest ZIP code in America is Fisher Island in Florida, where the average income was $2.5 million in 2015. The 216-acre island is available only by ferry or water taxi off the coast of Miami Beach.
Here's the rest of the country's top 10 wealthiest ZIP codes, including the adjusted gross annual income (AGI) for each of them:
- Miami Beach (Fisher Island), FL (33109) — $2.5 million
- Atherton, CA (94027) — $1.5 million
- Palm Beach, FL (33480) — $1.3 million
- Palo Alto, CA (94301) — $1.2 million
- Harrison, NY (10577) — $976,000
- Gladwyne, PA (19035) — $957,000
- Los Angeles, CA (90067) — $905,000
- Kenilworth, IL (60043) — $861,000
- Weston, MA (02493) — $860,000
- San Francisco, CA (94111) —$776,000
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