Pontiac is a city of 11,294 people in Illinois. 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $116,300. 2% of residents were born outside the United States. At a median age of 42.8, this is an older place than the country as a whole. That trails the Illinois median by roughly 27%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $61,279, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 11%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Pontiac
What changed most since 1990
Adults with a bachelor's degree8.1% → 16.2%(+8.1 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Median age32.9 → 42.8(+9.9 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Pontiac's population equals 32% of Livingston County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 22% of the county's. Its number of households without a car equals 43% 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)16.4%(86)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)37.8%(198)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era29.8%(156)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 524 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
Pontiac, decade by decade
Pontiac 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
11,428
$64,243
$112,803
8.1%
37.8
2000
11,864
$68,481
$130,613
13.8%
36.2
2010
11,931
$62,835
$131,629
11.7%
39.8
2020
11,150
$59,945
$115,871
14.6%
44.3
2024
11,294
$61,279
$116,300
16.2%
40.0
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.
