Pekin is a city of 31,781 people in Illinois. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 18% of adults. The typical home is worth $120,700, having risen by half since 2000. The foreign-born share is 2%. Households here earn about 27% less than in Illinois as a whole. Median rent is $819 a month.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $60,790, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 13%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Pekin
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$96,963 → $120,700(+24%)US over the same years: +67%
Adults with a bachelor's degree10.5% → 17.9%(+7.5 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
White share98.8% → 88.8%(−10.0 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Pekin's population equals 24% of Tazewell County's. Its number of households without a car equals 45% of the county's. Its number of people who work from home equals 16% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27%(549)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.5%(457)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era26.9%(547)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.9%(59)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(16)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 2,030 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Pekin, decade by decade
Pekin population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
32,254
$60,477
$96,963
10.5%
2.9
2000
33,857
$69,172
$138,628
13.4%
12.6
2010
34,094
$60,295
$142,850
15.2%
16.0
2020
31,731
$61,271
$126,052
17.6%
23.0
2024
31,781
$60,790
$120,700
17.9%
25.9
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
