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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Cook County

Illinois · 5,194,675 residents · 945 sq mi
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With 5,194,675 people, Cook County is a county in Illinois. The foreign-born share is 21%. 58% of homes are owner-occupied. Getting to work takes 32 minutes on average. About 33% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $265,800, having risen by half since 2000.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 35.3
US median: 37.2
More educated
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
5,194,675
−3%since 2000
from 5,376,741 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.3
+5%since 2000
from 33.6 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
945 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
5.1M5.2M5.2M5.3M5.4M19902000201020202024Cook County
20245.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.6%(342,493)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.4%(331,837)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.5%(339,576)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.9%(360,190)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.2%(372,503)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3416%(831,563)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.7%(709,795)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5413.8%(717,063)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411%(569,326)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.2%(324,521)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.9%(204,431)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.8%(91,377)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$53,942
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,922 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,335
+26%since 2000
from $23,227 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
35.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.2% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
15.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 13.5% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.488
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade11.3%
US avg: 10.9%
Information9.8%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services8.9%
US avg: 7%
Public administration6.7%
US avg: 4.9%
Finance & insurance6.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical5.8%
US avg: 4.2%
Wholesale trade5.4%
US avg: 7.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.6%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$265,800
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $154,300 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$900
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $648 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
58.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 57.9% in 2000
41.8% rent
Vacancy rate
10.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.63 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.66 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
39.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.0% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
49.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
4.9
−1%since 2009
from 5.0 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.
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%
2010
White, non-Hispanic43.9%(2,278,358)
Black24.4%(1,265,778)
Hispanic / Latino24%(1,244,762)
Asian6.1%(318,869)
Other1.4%(72,949)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican18%(930,542)
Puerto Rican2.4%(125,214)
South American1%(50,361)
Central American0.9%(44,033)
Guatemalan0.5%(24,557)
Ecuadorian0.4%(21,291)
Cuban0.3%(12,947)
Colombian0.2%(12,645)
Salvadoran0.2%(8,134)
Peruvian0.1%(6,899)
Honduran0.1%(6,176)
Spaniard0.1%(4,746)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(3,791)
Argentine0.1%(3,413)
Venezuelan0%(1,833)
Nicaraguan0%(1,702)
Costa Rican0%(1,410)
Chilean0%(1,403)
Panamanian0%(1,145)
Bolivian0%(717)
Uruguayan0%(697)
Paraguayan0%(200)
Ancestry
German11.2%(581,464)
Irish10.1%(523,306)
Polish9.4%(488,352)
Italian5.9%(306,814)
English3.3%(170,207)
American1.6%(81,737)
Swedish1.5%(78,000)
Russian1.4%(72,968)
French1.2%(62,142)
Greek1.1%(56,997)
Czech1%(49,240)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.9%(48,052)
Arab0.9%(45,769)
Norwegian0.8%(42,318)
Lithuanian0.8%(41,978)
Scottish0.8%(40,342)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(33,082)
Ukrainian0.6%(29,108)
Hungarian0.4%(21,499)
Romanian0.4%(20,601)
West Indian0.4%(20,264)
Croatian0.4%(18,706)
Austrian0.4%(18,467)
Slovak0.3%(14,558)
Danish0.3%(14,533)
Welsh0.3%(13,391)
Serbian0.2%(12,802)
French Canadian0.2%(11,045)
British0.2%(10,719)
Bulgarian0.2%(9,665)
Nigerian0.2%(9,595)
Swiss0.2%(8,432)
Jamaican0.2%(8,312)
Palestinian0.1%(7,600)
Belgian0.1%(6,111)
Haitian0.1%(6,057)
Finnish0.1%(5,880)
Iranian0.1%(5,319)
Canadian0.1%(4,905)
Armenian0.1%(4,516)
Lebanese0.1%(4,489)
Slovene0.1%(4,356)
Jordanian0.1%(3,670)
Iraqi0.1%(3,583)
Latvian0.1%(3,469)
Turkish0.1%(2,944)
Egyptian0.1%(2,859)
Israeli0.1%(2,827)
Brazilian0.1%(2,617)
Portuguese0%(2,483)
Ethiopian0%(2,474)
Syrian0%(2,357)
Ghanaian0%(2,288)
Moroccan0%(1,932)
Macedonian0%(1,896)
Australian0%(977)
Somali0%(637)
Kenyan0%(623)
Guyanese0%(419)
Barbadian0%(292)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
33.2%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 28.0% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
83.2%
+5.5 ptssince 2000
from 77.7% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
13.1%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.8% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.8 min
+33%since 2000
from 23.9 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
63.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 62.9% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
17.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 17.9% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
4.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
17.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
12.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
36.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 36.4% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
51.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
21.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 20.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
6.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
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.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Cook County to nearby counties

COOK COUNTY VS
Lake County
Income$110,416+105%
Home value$345,700+30%
Population719,339−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
DuPage County
Income$112,096+108%
Home value$391,400+47%
Population934,298−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
Lake County
Income$71,493+33%
Home value$230,600−13%
Population504,612−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COOK COUNTY VS
Will County
Income$109,984+104%
Home value$319,600+20%
Population712,253−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Cook County, Illinois?

Cook County, Illinois has about 5,194,675 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Cook County, Illinois earns about $53,942 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 $265,800, and the typical rent is about $900 a month.

How educated are people in Cook County, Illinois?

About 33.2% 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 15.3% 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 89,608 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 (2010): demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy