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COUNTY

Cook County

Illinois · 5,194,625 residents (2025 est.) · 945 sq mi
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Part of the Chicago metro area
The short version

Cook County is home to 5,182,090 people in Illinois. That puts it in the top 4% of US counties for household income. There are 5,484 people per square mile. About 43% of adults have finished a four-year degree. 22% of residents were born outside the United States. Owners hold 58% of the housing stock.

At a glance
Average income
median household income $83,498, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 38.9
More educated
43% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Cook County

What changed most since 1990

  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$242,167 → $324,500 (+34%)US over the same years: +67%

Among the 102 counties in Illinois

  • 14th in household income$83,498
  • 5th in share with a bachelor's degree42.7%
  • 4th in home value$324,500
  • 1st in diversity score89.1
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
5,182,090
−4%since 2000
from 5,376,741 in 2000
5,194,625 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,484 / sq mi
−4%since 2000
from 5,690 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.0
+13%since 2000
from 33.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
945 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
5.1M5.2M5.2M5.3M5.4M19902000201020202024Cook County
20245.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(280,520)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(301,967)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(313,647)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.2%(319,495)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.3%(324,927)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.8%(820,910)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414%(724,225)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.4%(640,957)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.1%(628,286)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(487,190)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.6%(237,130)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(102,836)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$83,498
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,922 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$49,329
+112%since 2000
from $23,227 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
54.5%
+19.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.5%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 13.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.504
+3%since 2010
from 0.488 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services8.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance7.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration6.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$324,500
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $154,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,435
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $648 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
57.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2000
from 57.9% in 2000
42.3% rent
Vacancy rate
7.7%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.43 people
−9%since 2009
from 2.66 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
27.3%
−11.7 ptssince 2009
from 39.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.0%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.9
−22%since 2009
from 5.0 in 2009
1990 – 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
49
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic47.6%(2,558,709)
Black25.9%(1,390,448)
Hispanic / Latino19.9%(1,071,740)
Asian4.8%(257,843)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic40.1%(2,077,522)
Black21.8%(1,130,881)
Hispanic / Latino26.8%(1,387,163)
Asian7.9%(407,859)
Other3.4%(178,665)
Diversity Score
89
+5%since 2009
from 85 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
52
−4%since 2020
from 54 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
Mexican20.1%(1,043,055)
Puerto Rican2.7%(137,451)
South American1.7%(87,744)
Central American1.1%(58,473)
Ecuadorian0.6%(29,227)
Guatemalan0.5%(28,462)
Colombian0.4%(21,908)
Cuban0.3%(18,030)
Venezuelan0.3%(15,257)
Salvadoran0.2%(11,546)
Honduran0.2%(11,193)
Peruvian0.2%(9,835)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.2%(9,368)
Dominican0.1%(5,727)
Argentine0.1%(4,861)
Chilean0.1%(3,401)
Nicaraguan0.1%(3,010)
Panamanian0%(2,081)
Costa Rican0%(1,740)
Bolivian0%(1,648)
Uruguayan0%(597)
Paraguayan0%(566)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.4%(122,654)
Chinese1.6%(82,491)
Filipino1.4%(74,684)
Korean0.7%(36,892)
Pakistani0.4%(22,104)
Vietnamese0.3%(15,834)
Japanese0.2%(11,261)
Thai0.1%(5,011)
Mongolian0.1%(4,367)
Taiwanese0.1%(4,127)
Burmese0.1%(2,747)
Bangladeshi0%(2,253)
+ 12 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(1,975)
Cambodian0%(1,874)
Kazakh0%(1,508)
Laotian0%(1,120)
Indonesian0%(876)
Sri Lankan0%(606)
Malaysian0%(589)
Uzbek0%(520)
Hmong0%(147)
Okinawan0%(62)
Mien0%(19)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(743)
Chamorro0%(445)
Fijian0%(236)
Tongan0%(199)
Guamanian0%(28)
Ancestry
German9%(464,737)
Irish8.4%(432,999)
Polish7%(361,909)
Italian4.8%(250,439)
English3.6%(186,319)
American2.2%(116,337)
Subsaharan African1.6%(80,388)
Arab1.3%(68,776)
Swedish1.2%(59,653)
Russian1%(51,555)
French0.9%(47,693)
Greek0.9%(44,811)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish0.7%(38,717)
Ukrainian0.7%(37,810)
Dutch0.7%(34,682)
Norwegian0.7%(34,204)
Czech0.6%(31,971)
Lithuanian0.6%(31,748)
West Indian0.5%(25,212)
Nigerian0.5%(23,799)
Romanian0.4%(19,425)
Palestinian0.3%(18,100)
Hungarian0.3%(15,864)
Croatian0.3%(15,378)
Serbian0.3%(14,877)
Austrian0.3%(13,625)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(13,501)
British0.2%(11,748)
Bulgarian0.2%(11,680)
Danish0.2%(11,089)
Slovak0.2%(11,063)
Welsh0.2%(10,585)
Jamaican0.2%(9,793)
French Canadian0.2%(8,200)
Iranian0.1%(7,763)
Lebanese0.1%(7,544)
Swiss0.1%(7,451)
Jordanian0.1%(7,276)
Haitian0.1%(7,125)
Ghanaian0.1%(6,065)
Finnish0.1%(5,666)
Ethiopian0.1%(5,578)
Iraqi0.1%(5,445)
Turkish0.1%(5,353)
Belgian0.1%(5,027)
Armenian0.1%(4,976)
Canadian0.1%(4,893)
Moroccan0.1%(4,873)
Portuguese0.1%(4,367)
Brazilian0.1%(4,111)
Macedonian0.1%(4,099)
Syrian0.1%(3,733)
Slovene0.1%(3,554)
Egyptian0.1%(3,521)
Latvian0%(2,414)
Australian0%(2,221)
Israeli0%(2,023)
Somali0%(1,002)
Kenyan0%(711)
Barbadian0%(585)
Guyanese0%(440)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
42.7%
+14.7 ptssince 2000
from 28.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.6%
+10.9 ptssince 2000
from 77.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.0%
+7.2 ptssince 2000
from 10.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.5 min
+32%since 2000
from 23.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
54.8%
−8.1 ptssince 2009
from 62.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.7%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
11.8%
−6.1 ptssince 2009
from 17.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
18.9%
+15.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
18.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2011
from 10.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2011
from 66.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.3%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 75.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
46.4%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 36.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
51.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
21.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 20.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.2%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.4%
+1.3 ptssince 2012
from 10.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.9%
−7.8 ptssince 2013
from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.6%
+13.9 ptssince 2017
from 76.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.2%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 91.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 87.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
64.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2016
from 65.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
21.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 20.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married44.4%(919,738)
Married46.1%(955,528)
Widowed2.5%(51,378)
Divorced7%(145,157)
Women 15+
Never married40.5%(897,366)
Married41.8%(925,110)
Widowed7.9%(174,950)
Divorced9.8%(216,729)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.9%
−7.8 ptssince 2013
from 16.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
55.9%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 55.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 11.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
21.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 21.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
65.0%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 65.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 34.3% 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)22.5%(29,784)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.5%(23,198)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.2%(43,935)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.2%(8,138)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.7%(2,312)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 132,321 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

Cook County, decade by decade

Cook County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
19905,105,067$78,417$242,16722.8%73.4
20005,376,741$83,654$281,08128.0%83.0
20105,194,675$77,599$382,37233.2%85.9
20205,275,541$82,280$309,67640.0%88.8
20245,182,090$83,498$324,50042.7%89.1

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.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Cook County

Harris County
Pop 5,045,026
Maricopa County
Pop 4,689,558
Kings County
Pop 2,653,963
Los Angeles County
Pop 9,694,934
Places similar to Cook County
Head to head

Compare Cook County to nearby counties

COOK COUNTY VS
Lake County
Income$110,416+32%
Home value$345,700+7%
Population719,339−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
DuPage County
Income$112,096+34%
Home value$391,400+21%
Population934,298−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
Lake County
Income$71,493−14%
Home value$230,600−29%
Population504,612−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
Will County
Income$109,984+32%
Home value$319,600−2%
Population712,253−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Cook County, Illinois?

Cook County, Illinois has about 5,182,090 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Cook County, Illinois earns about $83,498 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Cook County, Illinois expensive?

In Cook County, Illinois, the median home is worth about $324,500, and the typical rent is about $1,435 a month.

How educated are people in Cook County, Illinois?

About 42.7% of adults age 25 and over in Cook County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Cook County, Illinois?

About 13.5% of people in Cook County, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Cook County, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Cook County, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 77,023 residents, a change of about 2 percent over that period.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →

Cook County, Illinois: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy