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COUNTY

McLean County

Illinois · 171,419 residents (2025 est.) · 1,183 sq mi
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Part of the Bloomington metro area
The short version

With 171,556 people, McLean County is a county in Illinois. That puts it in the top 5% of US counties for household income. This skews young, with a median age of 34.3. About 47% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $208,400, having more than doubled since 2000. The average commute runs 18 minutes.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
47% 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
171,556
+14%since 2000
from 150,433 in 2000
171,419 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
145 / sq mi
+5%since 2009
from 138 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
34.3
+12%since 2000
from 30.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,183 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
125K138K151K164K178K19902000201020202024McLean County
2024172K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(9,170)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(9,289)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(11,427)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.7%(14,902)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2412%(20,544)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.8%(21,896)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.4%(21,200)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411%(18,908)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.2%(19,216)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.8%(15,163)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.1%(7,032)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(2,809)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$79,905
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,021 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,372
+95%since 2000
from $22,227 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
52.4%
+16.6 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.9%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 9.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.474
+10%since 2010
from 0.430 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services18.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration17.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Information10.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade8.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance3.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade3.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$208,400
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $109,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,009
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $533 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
65.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 66.5% in 2000
34.9% rent
Vacancy rate
6.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.31 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.45 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
15.8%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 19.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.5%
−8.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.6
−1%since 2009
from 2.6 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
29
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic87.9%(132,224)
Black6.1%(9,189)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(3,833)
Asian2%(3,072)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic76.2%(130,803)
Black8.4%(14,355)
Hispanic / Latino6.4%(11,062)
Asian5.2%(8,906)
Other3.7%(6,430)
Diversity Score
50
+49%since 2009
from 34 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
25
−11%since 2020
from 28 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
Mexican4.8%(8,298)
Puerto Rican0.5%(786)
Cuban0.2%(287)
Guatemalan0.2%(267)
Peruvian0.1%(193)
Salvadoran0.1%(168)
Honduran0.1%(142)
Spaniard0.1%(109)
Colombian0.1%(88)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian3.6%(6,112)
Chinese0.5%(865)
Filipino0.3%(440)
Korean0.2%(397)
Vietnamese0.2%(373)
Japanese0.1%(118)
Pakistani0.1%(116)
Burmese0.1%(90)
Taiwanese0%(41)
Uzbek0%(38)
Mongolian0%(18)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(5)
Thai0%(1)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(10)
Tongan0%(2)
Ancestry
German25.6%(43,844)
Irish14.4%(24,673)
English13.1%(22,412)
American4.1%(7,025)
Italian3.7%(6,406)
Polish3.3%(5,581)
Swedish1.9%(3,336)
Scottish1.7%(2,847)
French1.3%(2,295)
Norwegian1.1%(1,900)
Dutch1%(1,677)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.8%(1,357)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,038)
Danish0.6%(1,003)
Welsh0.6%(990)
Arab0.5%(840)
Czech0.4%(689)
Swiss0.4%(623)
Hungarian0.3%(449)
Lithuanian0.3%(431)
Belgian0.2%(411)
Greek0.2%(401)
British0.2%(383)
Croatian0.2%(308)
Slovak0.2%(280)
Austrian0.2%(273)
Ukrainian0.2%(264)
Turkish0.1%(257)
West Indian0.1%(252)
Lebanese0.1%(240)
Nigerian0.1%(225)
Jamaican0.1%(205)
Finnish0.1%(196)
Romanian0.1%(134)
Canadian0.1%(126)
Palestinian0.1%(121)
Ethiopian0.1%(101)
Moroccan0.1%(100)
Portuguese0.1%(94)
Egyptian0.1%(90)
Guyanese0%(56)
Serbian0%(51)
Iranian0%(46)
Kenyan0%(42)
Latvian0%(32)
Bulgarian0%(27)
Brazilian0%(23)
Syrian0%(19)
Armenian0%(19)
Ghanaian0%(17)
Slovene0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
47.2%
+11.0 ptssince 2000
from 36.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.9%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 90.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.2%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.3 min
+62%since 2000
from 11.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
69.1%
−9.1 ptssince 2009
from 78.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
17.5%
+14.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.0%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.9%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.8%
−4.8 ptssince 2011
from 69.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.1%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 74.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
47.2%
+8.4 ptssince 2009
from 38.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
51.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
7.6%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.3%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2012
from 8.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.6%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.0%
+9.8 ptssince 2017
from 80.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.6%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 94.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 84.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
90.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2016
from 91.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 2.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married41.9%(28,827)
Married47.8%(32,911)
Widowed2.6%(1,787)
Divorced7.7%(5,326)
Women 15+
Never married38.1%(27,753)
Married45%(32,748)
Widowed6.5%(4,697)
Divorced10.5%(7,621)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.6%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
64.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 64.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 18.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
12.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 12.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
79.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 79.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
26.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 26.5% 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)29.2%(2,088)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.9%(1,426)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era31.7%(2,271)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4%(284)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(24)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 7,158 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

Places similar to McLean County

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Pop 175,779
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Pop 178,214
Scott County
Pop 175,259
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Pop 167,927
Places similar to McLean County
Head to head

Compare McLean County to nearby counties

MCLEAN COUNTY VS
De Witt County
Income$71,678−10%
Home value$130,300−37%
Population15,118−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCLEAN COUNTY VS
Woodford County
Income$91,483+14%
Home value$197,600−5%
Population38,111−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCLEAN COUNTY VS
Livingston County
Income$73,790−8%
Home value$142,200−32%
Population35,057−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MCLEAN COUNTY VS
Ford County
Income$62,439−22%
Home value$122,000−41%
Population13,216−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in McLean County, Illinois?

McLean County, Illinois has about 171,556 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in McLean County, Illinois earns about $79,905 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is McLean County, Illinois expensive?

In McLean County, Illinois, the median home is worth about $208,400, and the typical rent is about $1,009 a month.

How educated are people in McLean County, Illinois?

About 47.2% of adults age 25 and over in McLean County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in McLean County, Illinois?

About 12.9% of people in McLean County, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has McLean County, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, McLean County, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 42,376 residents, a change of about 33 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 →