Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located 14 miles north of Chicago's downtown district and had a population at the 2010 census of 27,087. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore region. In 2007, Wilmette was ranked as the seventh best place to raise children in the U.S., according to Business Week. In 2015, Wilmette was ranked the best place to live in Illinois based on a variety of factors including its low unemployment rate, median income, low housing vacancy rate, high education expenditures per student, low crime, and short commute times. Wilmette is home to two of Illinois' 17 elementary schools to be awarded the 2017 National Blue Ribbon award.