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COUNTY

Winnebago County

Illinois · 283,674 residents (2025 est.) · 513 sq mi
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The short version

With 283,292 people, Winnebago County is a county in Illinois. The typical home is worth $164,500, having more than doubled since 2000. About 25% of adults have finished a four-year degree. That trails the Illinois median by roughly 21%. Renters pay $1,021 a month at the median. 9% of people here were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $65,837, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.6
US median: 38.9
Less educated
25% 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 Winnebago County

What changed most since 1990

  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$143,764 → $164,500 (+14%)US over the same years: +67%
  • Adults with a bachelor's degree16.7% → 25.2% (+8.6 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
  • Poverty rate10.1% → 15.6% (+5.5 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts

Among the 102 counties in Illinois

  • 59th in household income$65,837
  • 28th in share with a bachelor's degree25.2%
  • 29th in home value$164,500
  • 9th in diversity score68.9
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
283,292
+2%since 2000
from 278,418 in 2000
283,674 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
552 / sq mi
+2%since 2000
from 543 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
39.6
+10%since 2000
from 35.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
513 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
249K261K274K287K300K19902000201020202024Winnebago County
2024283K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(17,245)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(18,479)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(18,970)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(18,307)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(17,064)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.6%(35,818)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412%(33,930)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.9%(33,758)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.1%(37,203)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.8%(30,671)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.3%(14,915)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(6,932)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,837
−18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,886 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$35,697
+68%since 2000
from $21,194 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.7%
+16.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
15.6%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 9.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.450
+2%since 2010
from 0.441 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade18.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance7.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade6%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$164,500
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,021
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $514 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
65.9%
−4.2 ptssince 2000
from 70.0% in 2000
34.1% rent
Vacancy rate
7.2%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.41 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.6%
−8.9 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 46.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.5
−6%since 2009
from 2.7 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
17
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic79.3%(220,817)
Black10.4%(29,038)
Hispanic / Latino6.9%(19,206)
Asian1.7%(4,719)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic63.8%(180,624)
Black11.6%(32,798)
Hispanic / Latino15.5%(44,014)
Asian2.9%(8,178)
Other6.2%(17,678)
Diversity Score
69
+34%since 2009
from 51 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
37
−10%since 2020
from 41 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
Mexican12.3%(34,835)
Puerto Rican1%(2,784)
Central American0.7%(2,084)
South American0.5%(1,283)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,086)
Cuban0.3%(798)
Guatemalan0.2%(650)
Ecuadorian0.2%(613)
Spaniard0.2%(536)
Dominican0.1%(413)
Colombian0.1%(357)
Honduran0.1%(278)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(1,534)
Laotian0.5%(1,422)
Filipino0.4%(1,184)
Chinese0.4%(1,177)
Burmese0.2%(674)
Vietnamese0.2%(596)
Korean0.1%(396)
Pakistani0.1%(331)
Japanese0%(117)
Thai0%(88)
Mongolian0%(74)
Taiwanese0%(44)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(72)
Chamorro0%(36)
Fijian0%(15)
Ancestry
German22%(62,299)
Irish11.8%(33,521)
English9.1%(25,640)
Italian6.6%(18,757)
Swedish6.4%(18,046)
Polish3.8%(10,641)
American2.9%(8,127)
Norwegian2.7%(7,603)
Scottish1.5%(4,239)
Dutch1.3%(3,723)
French1.3%(3,550)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.6%(1,617)
Arab0.6%(1,584)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(1,491)
Swiss0.4%(1,266)
Russian0.4%(1,234)
Czech0.4%(1,114)
French Canadian0.4%(1,027)
Welsh0.4%(1,005)
Lithuanian0.3%(966)
West Indian0.3%(720)
Iraqi0.2%(707)
Nigerian0.2%(693)
Ukrainian0.2%(690)
Greek0.2%(578)
Serbian0.2%(480)
British0.2%(476)
Hungarian0.1%(423)
Finnish0.1%(421)
Croatian0.1%(332)
Egyptian0.1%(326)
Austrian0.1%(300)
Jamaican0.1%(299)
Belgian0.1%(295)
Jordanian0.1%(287)
Slovak0.1%(239)
Portuguese0.1%(231)
Haitian0.1%(186)
Brazilian0%(126)
Canadian0%(122)
Ghanaian0%(76)
Lebanese0%(69)
Ethiopian0%(68)
Romanian0%(63)
Moroccan0%(62)
Bulgarian0%(44)
Israeli0%(37)
Slovene0%(36)
Armenian0%(28)
Turkish0%(22)
Iranian0%(20)
Latvian0%(18)
Kenyan0%(15)
Barbadian0%(13)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
25.2%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 19.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.8%
+7.4 ptssince 2000
from 81.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.4%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 6.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.0 min
+72%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.8%
−7.6 ptssince 2009
from 84.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.8%
+6.6 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.3%
−3.8 ptssince 2011
from 11.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2011
from 65.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 74.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.2%
+5.6 ptssince 2009
from 28.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
51.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
8.9%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.1%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2012
from 11.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.2%
−6.5 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.8%
+11.6 ptssince 2017
from 77.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.9%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 90.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.5%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 85.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
84.8%
−1.8 ptssince 2016
from 86.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
10.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2016
from 9.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37%(40,902)
Married48.5%(53,661)
Widowed3.1%(3,477)
Divorced11.4%(12,578)
Women 15+
Never married31.9%(37,629)
Married45%(53,121)
Widowed9.4%(11,137)
Divorced13.6%(16,093)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.2%
−6.5 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
51.9%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 53.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 19.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 25.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.4%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 64.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 43.5% 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)19.5%(2,555)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.1%(2,110)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.8%(5,092)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.6%(741)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.9%(246)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 13,120 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

Winnebago County, decade by decade

Winnebago County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990252,913$75,209$143,76416.7%30.3
2000278,418$79,945$165,58819.4%44.3
2010295,266$67,898$184,28121.1%55.8
2020285,350$67,038$147,14223.0%68.4
2024283,292$65,837$164,50025.2%68.9

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 Winnebago County

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Pop 289,709
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Pop 297,260
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Pop 299,048
St. Joseph County
Pop 272,861
Places similar to Winnebago County
Head to head

Compare Winnebago County to nearby counties

WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
Boone County
Income$84,571+28%
Home value$216,900+32%
Population53,568−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
Ogle County
Income$82,132+25%
Home value$189,200+15%
Population51,399−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
Rock County
Income$75,673+15%
Home value$231,600+41%
Population166,472−41%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
Stephenson County
Income$64,043−3%
Home value$134,900−18%
Population43,220−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Winnebago County, Illinois?

Winnebago County, Illinois has about 283,292 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Winnebago County, Illinois earns about $65,837 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Winnebago County, Illinois expensive?

In Winnebago County, Illinois, the median home is worth about $164,500, and the typical rent is about $1,021 a month.

How educated are people in Winnebago County, Illinois?

About 25.2% of adults age 25 and over in Winnebago County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Winnebago County, Illinois?

About 15.6% of people in Winnebago County, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Winnebago County, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Winnebago County, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 30,379 residents, a change of about 12 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 →