Surface mine lakes are common in parts of the Midwest, but little is known about the communities that inhabit them or the factors shaping them. Our objectives were to: (1) characterize littoral zone macroinvertebrate communities in surface mine lakes; (2) identify factors that influence macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure; and (3) examine the utility of some commonly used bioassessment metrics to assess habitat quality based on macroinvertebrates. Fourteen lakes on a 1133 ha parcel in southern Illinois were sampled in spring 2003 using a dip net that was swept over two (small lakes) or three (large lakes) littoral zone transects. Three hundred macroinvertebrates were randomly removed from each sample and identified. Stepwise multiple regressions were used to examine relationships between several physicochemical and biological variables and macroinvertebrates. Oligochaetes were typically the most abundant taxon, followed by Hyalella, Chironomidae, Physella and Caenis. Seventy percent of the macroinvertebrates collected from the lakes were predators, while collector-gatherers and scrapers constituted 20% and 9%, respectively. Macroinvertebrate richness was positively related to sunfish abundance and macrophyte cover (R² = 0.91, P = 0.001). Simpson diversity was positively related to lake area, percent rock and gravel substrates and simazine concentration and negatively related to bank slope and transparency (R² = 0.92, P = 0.0003). Richness and diversity metrics, % Oligochaeta, % Chironomidae, % insect taxa and % dominance varied across lakes, while a Hilsenhoff index and the EPT index appeared less useful for biological assessments in these habitats. Results indicate that macroinvertebrate communities in these lakes are typical of littoral habitats in other lentic systems and that macroinvertebrate diversity might be enhanced during creation and management of these systems by manipulating coarse mineral substrates and vegetation.