COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Cook County

Illinois · 5,105,067 residents · 945 sq mi

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The short version

Cook County is home to 5,105,067 people in Illinois. 55% of homes are owner-occupied. Getting to work takes 27 minutes on average. About 23% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households earn $32,673 at the median, near the US median. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.

At a glance

Wealthier

above the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 32.8

US median: 33.0

More educated

23% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 14%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

5,105,067

−5%vs 2000

vs 5,376,741 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

32.8

−3%vs 2000

vs 33.6 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

945 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

20245.2M

Age distribution, 1990

Under 57.4%(378,237)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 97%(356,106)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.7%(341,009)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 196.8%(348,296)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 247.6%(389,424)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.6%(950,051)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4414.5%(742,308)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 5410.3%(523,733)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 648.7%(444,077)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 747.3%(374,588)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.9%(201,198)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.1%(56,040)

US avg: 1.2%

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Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$32,673

−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $45,922 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$15,697

−32%vs 2000

vs $23,227 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

14.2%

+0.7 ptsvs 2000

vs 13.5% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$100,900

−14%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $154,300 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$478

−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $648 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

55.5%

−2.4 ptsvs 2000

vs 57.9% in 2000

44.5% rent

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%

1990

White, non-Hispanic62.8%(3,208,115)

Black25.8%(1,314,859)

Hispanic / Latino13.3%(677,949)

Asian3.7%(188,447)

Other7.7%(393,646)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)

Singaporean0%(140)

Okinawan0%(62)

Mien0%(19)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0%(2,222)

Samoan0%(743)

Chamorro0%(445)

Fijian0%(236)

Tongan0%(199)

Marshallese0%(94)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(1,104)

Somali0%(1,002)

Kenyan0%(711)

Barbadian0%(585)

Guyanese0%(440)

Cape Verdean0%(250)

RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest Polish population · Largest Italian population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

22.8%

−5.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 28.0% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

73.4%

−4.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 77.7% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

8.3%

−2.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 10.8% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

27.1 min

+14%vs 2000

vs 23.9 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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.

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