Illinois to Wisconsin

Distance from Elgin to Milwaukee

Straight-line distance

73.1mi

Elgin, IL and Milwaukee, WI are 73.1 miles (117.6 km) apart in a straight line. From Elgin, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (14°).

kilometers
117.6
nautical miles
63.5
heading from Elgin
14° NNE
heading from Milwaukee
195° SSW
ElginMilwaukee

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Elgin is from Milwaukee

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Elgin and Milwaukee is 73.1 miles, 117.6 km or 63.5 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 73.1 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
73.1
Kilometers
117.6
Nautical miles
63.5
Bearing from Elgin
14.4° NNE
Bearing arriving at Milwaukee
14.6°
Bearing from Milwaukee
194.6° SSW

Halfway between Elgin and Milwaukee

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.551290, -88.147673 (42°33'4.64"N 88°08'51.62"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Salem Lakes, WI, with 14,302 residents, 1.2 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Elgin gets 15 h 15 min of daylight and Milwaukee 15 h 22 min; on December 21, 9 h 07 min and 9 h 00 min. Milwaukee is 1.02° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Milwaukee has 4.9 times the population of Elgin. From July 2020 to July 2024, Elgin changed by +0.0% and Milwaukee by -2.4%. The trip crosses from Illinois into Wisconsin.

  1. 01Elgin, IL114,701 (+0.0%)
  2. 02Milwaukee, WI563,531 (-2.4%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Elgin from Milwaukee?

73.1 miles, 117.6 km or 63.5 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Milwaukee from Elgin?

NNE. The great-circle path leaves Elgin on a bearing of 14.4° and arrives at Milwaukee on 14.6°. The return trip starts on 194.6°.

What is halfway between Elgin and Milwaukee?

The midpoint is at 42.551290, -88.147673. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Salem Lakes, WI, 1.2 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Elgin and Milwaukee?

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Elgin or Milwaukee?

Milwaukee, with 563,531 residents in July 2024 against 114,701 for Elgin, 4.9 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.