Wood Dale, Illinois

Wood Dale is a city in Addison Township, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 14,012.

History
Wood Dale was originally known as Lester's Station, after John Lester, an early settler.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Wood Dale has a total area of 4.89 sqmi, of which 4.78 sqmi (or 97.91%) is land and 0.10 sqmi (or 2.09%) is water.

Wood Dale shares borders with Elk Grove Village (on the north), Bensenville (east), Addison (south, southwest) and Itasca (west).

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 14,012 people, 5,135 households, and 3,684 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,868.37 PD/sqmi. There were 5,599 housing units at an average density of 1,146.16 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 68.93% White, 1.84% African American, 0.93% Native American, 6.09% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from other races, and 11.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.01% of the population.

There were 5,135 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.95% were married couples living together, 13.18% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.26% were non-families. 22.96% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.43% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 2.68.

The city's age distribution consisted of 21.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,521, and the median income for a family was $88,365. Males had a median income of $46,114 versus $32,100 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,563. About 5.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Wood Dale has two primary schools, Oakbrook Elementary School(k-2) and Westview Elementary School(3-5), and one middle school, Wood Dale Junior High School(6-8) as well as Holy Ghost. Wood Dale shares Fenton High School with Bensenville.

Economy
The top 5 employing industry sectors in Wood Dale are manufacturing (13.6%), retail trade (11.0%), health care (9.7%), wholesale trade (5.4%) and administration (8.4%). A plurality of the workforce commutes from Chicago, followed by Wood Dale itself, Elk Grove Village and Bensenville. The top 5 employing industry sectors of community residents are wholesale trade (20.3%), manufacturing (18%), manufacturing (11.3%), administration (10.6%) and healthcare (7.5%). The median income for a household in the city was $57,509, and the median income for a family was $62,289. Males had a median income of $45,884 versus $35,247 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,507. About 2.9% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over. At one time Claire's had a distribution facility in Wood Dale. That function is now handled by its Hoffman Estates office.

Principal employers
According to Wood Dale's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Transportation
Wood Dale has a station on Metra's Milwaukee District West Line, which provides daily rail service between Elgin, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station). Illinois Route 390 is in the city's corporate limits near the northern border of the city and has an exit to Wood Dale Road.

Sister cities

 * 🇮🇹 Cefalù, Italy
 * 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois

Notable people

 * Colin Brady, American animator and film director, raised in Wood Dale.
 * Rick DeLorto (born 1949), American racing driver, born in Wood Dale and was a Wood Dale resident.
 * Henry Hyde (1924–2007), Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, resided in Wood Dale.
 * Natalie Jaresko (born 1965), Ukraine's Minister of Finance (2014–2016); raised in Wood Dale.
 * Monica Pedersen, Chicago designer for HGTV shows Designed to Sell and Dream Home.
 * James "Pate" Philip (1930–2023), 36th President of the Illinois Senate (1993–2003); lived in Wood Dale.
 * Ray Soden, Illinois state senator; lived in Wood Dale.
 * Jim Spivey (born 1960), retired American middle-distance runner and three time Olympian, raised in Wood Dale.
 * Christine Winger, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2015–2019). She served as a member of the Wood Dale City Council prior to serving as State Representative.