Chicagoland here is Cook County and the five collar counties around it: DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry, all in Illinois. The metro area also reaches into Indiana, Wisconsin and a few more Illinois counties; they are not in this guide. Cook and Lake counties take in a large stretch of Lake Michigan.
No carrier is the clear outdoor leader in any of the 6 counties once each county's water is allowed for. In the 5 Chicagoland cities among the 300 largest in the US, no carrier is the clear leader in any of them.
Every Chicagoland county, outdoors
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 76.8% | 58.7% | 58.7% | 77.2% | 42.2% | No clear leader on land (42.2% water) |
| DuPage County, IL | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2.5% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Kane County, IL | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0.9% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Lake County, IL | 50.3% | 34.4% | 34.4% | 50.3% | 67.6% | No clear leader on land (67.6% water) |
| McHenry County, IL | 100% | 99.9% | 99.7% | 100% | 1.3% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Will County, IL | 100% | 99.7% | 99.2% | 100% | 1.6% | Tie (within 5 points) |
Reading the county figures
Cook County: Verizon 77.2% and T-Mobile 58.7%, but with 42.2% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Lake County: Verizon 50.3% and T-Mobile 34.4%, but with 67.6% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
DuPage County, Will County, Kane County and McHenry County: all three carriers within 5 points of each other outdoors.
The largest Chicagoland cities
The 5 Chicagoland cities among the 300 largest in the US, biggest first. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 5 cities; in a car, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 5 cities.
| City | Population | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 2,721,308 | 98.6% | 98.7% | 100% | 2.9% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Aurora | 180,710 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2.1% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Naperville | 153,124 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 1.5% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Joliet | 151,837 | 99.9% | 100% | 100% | 1.1% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Elgin | 114,701 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 1.5% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
Population: 2024 estimates.
Town by town
203 towns, each the main town of a ZIP code, the large cities included. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 203 towns. In a car, AT&T leads in 28, Verizon leads in 15 and T-Mobile leads in 4 of the 203 towns, and 156 have no clear leader.
| Carrier | Towns led, outdoors | Towns led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 0 | 28 |
| T-Mobile | 0 | 4 |
| Verizon | 0 | 15 |
| No clear leader | 203 | 156 |
Where one carrier pulls clear in Chicagoland
Widest in-car margin first, 12 of 47.
| Town | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaneville | 100% | 57.1% | 100% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Barrington Hills | 81.8% | 40% | 73.7% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Winnetka | 97.9% | 61.5% | 100% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Wilmington | 96.6% | 62.9% | 96.1% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Glencoe | 87% | 64.1% | 94.6% | Verizon | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Kenilworth | 100% | 73.3% | 100% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Richmond | 95.3% | 73.8% | 98.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Burlington | 98.2% | 74.1% | 81.9% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Lake Bluff | 96.9% | 75.5% | 78.6% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Channahon | 90% | 77.9% | 98.3% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Wayne | 83.6% | 63.7% | 76.7% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Marengo | 99.5% | 80.4% | 94.7% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
In a moving car
| County | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 57.2% | 55% | 64.5% | No clear leader on land (42.2% water) |
| DuPage County, IL | 98.8% | 94.7% | 98.7% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Kane County, IL | 95.8% | 93.3% | 93.9% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Lake County, IL | 33.1% | 31.4% | 40% | No clear leader on land (67.6% water) |
| McHenry County, IL | 89.7% | 80.7% | 88.5% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Will County, IL | 85.2% | 83% | 91.9% | Verizon |
5G in Chicagoland
Every carrier together: 5G at 7/1 Mbps reaches 45.4–100% and at 35/3 Mbps 38.4–99.8% of each county, against 87% and 76.1% of Illinois as a whole.
| County | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 73.1% | 65.8% | 76.8% |
| DuPage County, IL | 100% | 99.8% | 100% |
| Kane County, IL | 100% | 99.6% | 100% |
| Lake County, IL | 45.4% | 38.4% | 50.3% |
| McHenry County, IL | 100% | 98.8% | 100% |
| Will County, IL | 99.9% | 98.4% | 100% |