We Now Know Which Cities Are the Loneliest in IL and WI

There are 597 cities and villages in Wisconsin and over 1,300 municipalities in Illinois, and we now know which of those are the loneliest cities in each state.

According to the most recent 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are now 5.893 million Wisconsinites who call America's Dairyland home, while 12.58 million people currently reside in the Land of Lincoln in Illinois. And while the majority-- about 53 percent-- say they're married, there are still nearly 48 percent of residents who have either never married or are currently divorced or widowed.

And while not everyone who's single is lonely, mind you, living alone or with others but not being in a relationship can sometimes be a little bit daunting. Some people love to be by themselves, while others report the experience can be pretty lonely. But just which cities Wisconsin and Illinois are the loneliest?

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That's the question the number-crunchers over at 24/7 Wall Street attempted to answer. To find out which cities are the loneliest in the state, they did a survey that took into account several different factors:

To find the loneliest city in every state, 24/7 Wall St. used Census Bureau data, ranking 384 metro areas by the share of nonfamily households living alone out of all households. We added the share of people living alone as a percentage of the civilian, noninstitutionalized 16+ population.

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So what did they discover? Which city is the loneliest in the Badger State of Wisconsin? That honor goes to Milwaukee/Waukesha. Really. Wisconsin's biggest city is also apparently its loneiest, as well, at least according to 24/7 Wall Street. Here's the data they gathered on Milwaukee:

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One-person households, 2022: 33.7% (220,643 households)
Adults living alone out of adult civilian pop: 17.8% (#36 out of 385 metros)
1-person household 65+ years: 12.5%, or 37.2% of one-person households
Monthly gross rent: $1,054 (#190 out of 385 metros)
Bachelor’s degree attainment rate: 39.3% (#79 out of 385 metros)
Median household income: $70,898 (#142 out of 385 metros)

So while Milwaukee/Waukesha might be the loneliest city in Wisconsin, if you set out on Interstate 94 and drive just 40 miles south into Illinois, which city is the loneliest in the Land of Lincoln?

According to 24/7 Wall Street, that honor goes to... Danville. The city is located about 120 south of Chicago on the state's eastern border with Indiana, and is known for being one of the sites where Abraham Lincoln practiced law before becoming president. Here's that data 24/7 Wall Street put together on Danville:

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One-person households, 2022: 39.7% (12,292 households)
Adults living alone out of adult civilian pop: 21.8% (#2 out of 385 metros)
1-person household 65+ years: 18.4%, or 46.4% of one-person households
Monthly gross rent: $743 (#380 out of 385 metros)
Bachelor’s degree attainment rate: 15.5% (#382 out of 385 metros)
Median household income: $51,515 (#375 out of 385 metros)

Over in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in Minnesota, the loneliest city, according to 24/7 Wall Street is Duluth. And while Minnesota's fifth-largest city is apparently also the loneliest in the entire state, it's also ranked as the 34th loneliest city in the entire COUNTRY too.

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