Best Online Business Administration Programs in North Chicago, IL (2026)

North Chicago, Illinois has a population of about 30,772. The city’s median household income is $56,815 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Our directory has 106 accredited schools offering business administration programs near North Chicago, with tuition ranging from $3,822 to $47,751 per year for indexed programs. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $164,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2024).


Closest Business Administration Schools to North Chicago

The 10 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 106 schools in our directory that offer business administration programs near North Chicago. Distances are calculated from North Chicago city center.

SchoolCityDistanceTuitionOnline
Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, IL5.0 miContact school for pricing
Lake Forest Graduate School of ManagementLake Forest, IL5.4 miContact school for pricing
College of Lake CountyGrayslake, IL8.2 miContact school for pricing
Trinity International University-IllinoisDeerfield, IL8.3 mi$12,320 - $47,751
Oakton CollegeDes Plaines, IL17.7 miContact school for pricing
Herzing University-KenoshaKenosha, WI18.4 miContact school for pricing
William Rainey Harper CollegePalatine, IL19.6 mi$3,822 - $12,833
Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI19.9 miContact school for pricing
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL20.6 miContact school for pricing
Carthage CollegeKenosha, WI21.2 miContact school for pricing

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois business administration page.


Business Administration Wages Near North Chicago

North Chicago is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$105,310Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,651
Administrative Services Manager$108,610Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$104,836
Financial Manager$164,470Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$158,755
Human Resources Manager$137,760Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$132,973
Management Analyst$120,140Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$115,965
Project Management Specialist$104,640Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,004
Accountant or Auditor$81,210Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$78,388
Training and Development Specialist$65,030Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$62,770
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor$67,940Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$65,579

Source: BLS, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


North Chicago at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,772Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$56,815Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+19.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Business Administration-related employment in Lake County20,458 workers, 1,356 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other North Chicago-Area Cities With Business Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near North Chicago, IL?

Our directory has 106 accredited schools offering business administration programs near North Chicago. The closest is Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL (5.0 miles), and the farthest in our top picks is Carthage College (21.2 miles). 0 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near North Chicago?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near North Chicago are: Financial Manager ($164,470), Human Resources Manager ($137,760), Management Analyst ($120,140). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Waukegan instead of North Chicago?

Waukegan, IL is 3.7 miles from North Chicago and has its own set of local business administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is North Chicago an affordable place to study business administration?

North Chicago’s median household income of $56,815 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in North Chicago while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Data verified: May 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2024; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.