Wheeling hopes special census will show population bump, lead to more revenue
A special census that could help Wheeling collect more tax revenue from the state will begin in October.
If the new census shows Wheeling’s population has increased, the village could receive a greater share of state tax revenues that are population dependent, such as income and cannabis taxes.
“It keeps us from having to raise the property tax,” Village President Pat Horcher said.
Pingree Grove, Volo and Warrenville are among the other suburbs that have commissioned special censuses since the last decennial count in 2020. One planned for Aurora has been put on hold.
New complexes mean new residents
About 39,100 people lived in Wheeling during the last census, up about 1,500 from a decade earlier.
Wheeling officials commissioned a new count because several multifamily residential complexes along a nearly 2-mile stretch of Dundee Road have been completed and occupied since the last census.
They include the ONE Wheeling Town Center, Uptown 500 and Union Apartments complexes and the London Crossing townhouses. The Landing on Dundee Senior Living facility opened, too.
Village officials estimate more than 1,650 people lived at those properties.
“I would bet you could come up with a couple (vacant) units, but they are pretty much full,” Horcher said. “And the new people in them are using services that are costing money.”
Wheeling isn’t the only town experiencing growth since the 2020 census. New multifamily residential developments have filled up throughout the suburbs in recent years, leading to greater population estimates in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in May.
Some of those estimates have been verified by special censuses.
Warrenville’s 2024 special census revealed that community’s population had grown 12% since 2020, while Pingree Grove’s special count in 2024 revealed a 15% increase. A special census conducted earlier this year in Volo showed that suburb’s population has grown about 11% since 2020.
Wheeling officials don’t want to wait until the Census Bureau’s next decennial count in 2030 — when funding formulas will be readjusted statewide — to get whatever cash the town is qualified to receive.
“This all comes down to getting Wheeling’s share of the money that we’re entitled to, the money we’ve earned through our growth,” Horcher said.
Survey area is limited
Special censuses can count heads in an entire community or within specific boundaries. The community commissioning the survey picks up the tab.
Wheeling already has paid nearly $547,000 for its upcoming census. The final cost could change, officials said.
The effort will focus on neighborhoods north of Hintz Road and east of Schoenbeck Road. Residential complexes have been built in other parts of Wheeling, too, but expanding the survey villagewide would increase the cost beyond the anticipated tax revenue bump, officials have said.
Residents in the designated neighborhoods should be notified by the Census Bureau about the survey by mail in early October. They’ll be asked to complete an online survey using codes provided in the letters.
The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete, officials said. Answers are confidential and private.
Residents who don’t respond by Nov. 7 will be visited by credentialed Census Bureau workers for in-person surveys. Census Bureau workers must show official government ID badges that feature their photographs, U.S. Department of Commerce watermarks and an expiration date.
If someone claiming to be a census worker shows up at your home and doesn’t have that ID, close the door and call police immediately, Horcher said.
The bureau will hire more than a dozen people to help complete the survey.
Temporary field representatives, clerical workers and supervisors are needed. Part-time and full-time positions will be available.
People can apply for the open positions online. More information is available at wheelingil.gov.