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COUNTY

Coles County

Illinois · 46,607 residents (2025 est.) · 508 sq mi
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The short version

Coles County is home to 46,777 people in Illinois. The typical home is worth $127,400, having risen by half since 2000. Households here earn about 32% less than in Illinois as a whole. The foreign-born share is 3%. About 27% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $780 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
46,777
−12%since 2000
from 53,196 in 2000
46,607 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
92 / sq mi
−10%since 2009
from 103 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.5
+22%since 2000
from 30.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
508 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
46K48K50K52K55K19902000201020202024Coles County
202447K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.9%(2,311)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(2,318)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.3%(2,490)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.9%(3,680)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2412.1%(5,674)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.4%(5,785)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.3%(5,296)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.5%(4,909)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.2%(5,722)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.6%(4,960)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.8%(2,258)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.9%(1,374)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,478
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,286 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,885
+95%since 2000
from $17,370 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.8%
+18.4 ptssince 2009
from 18.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
18.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 17.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.452
−7%since 2010
from 0.488 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade11.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade6.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Manufacturing0.7%
US avg: 0.4%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$127,400
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $70,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$780
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $438 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
60.4%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 61.9% in 2000
39.6% rent
Vacancy rate
8.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.06 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.05 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
16.9%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 19.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.4%
−20.8 ptssince 2009
from 61.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.3
−10%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
31
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic94.6%(50,298)
Black2.3%(1,208)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(737)
Asian0.8%(413)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic88%(41,146)
Black3.6%(1,666)
Hispanic / Latino3.9%(1,809)
Asian1.1%(514)
Other3.5%(1,642)
Diversity Score
28
+63%since 2009
from 17 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
27
−25%since 2020
from 36 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.9%(1,362)
Puerto Rican0.4%(167)
Colombian0.2%(78)
Salvadoran0.1%(44)
Cuban0%(13)
Bolivian0%(10)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.4%(185)
Filipino0.4%(177)
Chinese0.2%(90)
Korean0.2%(77)
Vietnamese0.1%(35)
Cambodian0%(13)
Japanese0%(10)
Thai0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0%(9)
Ancestry
German22.1%(10,328)
Irish14.2%(6,647)
English11.4%(5,351)
American5.9%(2,771)
Italian1.8%(848)
Scottish1.3%(618)
Dutch1.2%(576)
Polish1%(479)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(378)
Swedish0.8%(375)
French0.8%(371)
Welsh0.6%(283)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.4%(188)
Swiss0.3%(159)
Czech0.3%(147)
Greek0.2%(112)
Lithuanian0.2%(104)
Iranian0.2%(83)
Brazilian0.2%(82)
British0.1%(63)
Canadian0.1%(63)
Arab0.1%(59)
West Indian0.1%(45)
Ukrainian0.1%(44)
Romanian0.1%(43)
Haitian0.1%(41)
Danish0.1%(39)
Macedonian0.1%(36)
Turkish0.1%(32)
Ghanaian0.1%(29)
Hungarian0.1%(25)
Croatian0.1%(24)
Russian0%(22)
Latvian0%(18)
Austrian0%(11)
Serbian0%(7)
Finnish0%(2)
Slovak0%(1)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.9%
+6.1 ptssince 2000
from 20.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.1%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 82.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 9.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.2 min
+53%since 2000
from 11.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.2%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 78.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.2%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.8%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.7%
+2.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.1%
−5.7 ptssince 2011
from 11.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.9%
−1.0 ptssince 2011
from 61.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
73.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 74.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.6%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 18.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.8%
+7.0 ptssince 2009
from 27.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.0% in 2009
Female
50.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 52.0% in 2009
Foreign born
2.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.7%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
17.6%
+5.6 ptssince 2012
from 12.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.1%
−5.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
85.8%
+10.2 ptssince 2017
from 75.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.2%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 90.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
83.6%
+4.9 ptssince 2020
from 78.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
94.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 95.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 1.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.6%(7,224)
Married47.6%(9,145)
Widowed3.3%(633)
Divorced11.5%(2,202)
Women 15+
Never married32.9%(6,736)
Married44.2%(9,047)
Widowed9.5%(1,934)
Divorced13.4%(2,737)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.1%
−5.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
50.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 50.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 19.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
27.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 25.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 63.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.2%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 42.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)24.6%(534)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.3%(463)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.3%(724)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.3%(93)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.2%(26)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,171 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
Drill deeper

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Pop 48,276
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Pop 48,149
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Pop 46,210
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Head to head

Compare Coles County to nearby counties

COLES COUNTY VS
Cumberland County
Income$73,327+30%
Home value$126,000−1%
Population10,208−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLES COUNTY VS
Douglas County
Income$77,320+37%
Home value$150,400+18%
Population19,880−57%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLES COUNTY VS
Moultrie County
Income$71,784+27%
Home value$134,000+5%
Population14,371−69%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLES COUNTY VS
Clark County
Income$72,927+29%
Home value$132,400+4%
Population15,114−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Coles County, Illinois?

Coles County, Illinois has about 46,777 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Coles County, Illinois?

The typical household in Coles County, Illinois earns about $56,478 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Coles County, Illinois expensive?

In Coles County, Illinois, the median home is worth about $127,400, and the typical rent is about $780 a month.

How educated are people in Coles County, Illinois?

About 26.9% of adults age 25 and over in Coles County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Coles County, Illinois?

About 18.7% of people in Coles County, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Coles County, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Coles County, Illinois has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 4,867 residents, a change of about -9 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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