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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Winnebago County

Illinois · 285,350 residents · 513 sq mi
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The short version

Winnebago County is home to 285,350 people in Illinois. The typical home is worth $121,400. About 23% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households here earn about 19% less than in Illinois as a whole. Renters pay $817 a month at the median. Households take in $55,310 at the median, 17% less than the US figure.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.8
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
More affordable
home values down 11%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
285,350
+2%since 2000
from 278,418 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
40.0
+11%since 2000
from 35.9 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
513 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
249K261K274K287K300K19902000201020202024Winnebago County
2024283K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.9%(16,904)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(17,761)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.7%(19,181)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.5%(18,613)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(17,050)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.5%(35,594)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412%(34,117)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.4%(35,420)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.8%(39,481)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.4%(29,785)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.3%(15,261)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.2%(6,183)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,310
−16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,886 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,894
+41%since 2000
from $21,194 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
35.7%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
15.8%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 9.6% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade22.8%
US avg: 10%
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 4.7%
Other services3.9%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$121,400
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,900 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$817
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $514 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
65.2%
−4.9 ptssince 2000
from 70.0% in 2000
34.8% rent
Persons per household
2.41 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.2
−17%since 2009
from 2.7 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-Hispanic79.3%(220,817)
Black10.4%(29,038)
Hispanic / Latino6.9%(19,206)
Asian1.7%(4,719)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic64.2%(183,235)
Black13.4%(38,240)
Hispanic / Latino14.4%(40,952)
Asian2.8%(7,938)
Other3.3%(9,455)
Segregation Score
41
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
Mexican10.9%(30,879)
Puerto Rican0.9%(2,451)
Cuban0.3%(762)
Spaniard0.2%(628)
Guatemalan0.2%(480)
Ecuadorian0.1%(239)
Honduran0.1%(194)
Venezuelan0.1%(165)
Salvadoran0.1%(152)
Colombian0%(135)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0%(119)
Argentine0%(92)
Peruvian0%(88)
Dominican0%(21)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(1,585)
Filipino0.5%(1,452)
Laotian0.3%(910)
Chinese0.3%(750)
Burmese0.2%(488)
Vietnamese0.2%(446)
Pakistani0.1%(367)
Korean0.1%(323)
Mongolian0.1%(212)
Thai0.1%(178)
Japanese0.1%(162)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(40)
Fijian0%(2)
Ancestry
German21.9%(62,101)
Irish11.8%(33,453)
English7.7%(21,827)
Swedish7.4%(20,981)
Italian7%(19,861)
Polish3.4%(9,677)
Norwegian3.2%(9,034)
American3.1%(8,851)
French1.6%(4,560)
Dutch1.5%(4,185)
Scottish1.4%(3,956)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,652)
Danish0.6%(1,573)
Swiss0.5%(1,386)
Welsh0.5%(1,321)
British0.5%(1,299)
Russian0.4%(1,232)
Czech0.4%(1,205)
French Canadian0.4%(1,076)
Lithuanian0.3%(959)
Iraqi0.3%(763)
Greek0.3%(744)
West Indian0.3%(734)
Arab0.2%(704)
Finnish0.2%(626)
Serbian0.2%(440)
Nigerian0.2%(435)
Belgian0.1%(391)
Ukrainian0.1%(365)
Hungarian0.1%(327)
Egyptian0.1%(321)
Jamaican0.1%(321)
Jordanian0.1%(309)
Slovak0.1%(304)
Haitian0.1%(299)
Croatian0.1%(290)
Romanian0.1%(219)
Austrian0.1%(218)
Barbadian0.1%(212)
Lebanese0.1%(176)
Kenyan0.1%(157)
Slovene0.1%(150)
Armenian0%(140)
Iranian0%(132)
Canadian0%(126)
Brazilian0%(124)
Latvian0%(97)
Moroccan0%(88)
Ethiopian0%(65)
Turkish0%(44)
Bulgarian0%(34)
Syrian0%(22)
Ghanaian0%(13)
Israeli0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.0%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.4% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
87.8%
+6.4 ptssince 2000
from 81.4% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
8.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 6.6% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.0 min
+73%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.1%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 84.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
8.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 11.0% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
63.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 65.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
30.8%
+2.2 ptssince 2009
from 28.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
51.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
8.8%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
6.1%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.9%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
6.1%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
53.2%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
19.9%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
25.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.1%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
64.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
43.5%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)12.5%(2,006)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)16%(2,567)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era38.6%(6,189)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8.5%(1,355)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.1%(665)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 16,034 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
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Compare Winnebago County to nearby counties

WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
Boone County
Income$84,571+53%
Home value$216,900+79%
Population53,568−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
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Home value$189,200+56%
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WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
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Home value$231,600+91%
Population166,472−41%
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WINNEBAGO COUNTY VS
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Income$64,043+16%
Home value$134,900+11%
Population43,220−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Winnebago County, Illinois?

Winnebago County, Illinois has about 285,350 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Winnebago County, Illinois earns about $55,310 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 $121,400, and the typical rent is about $817 a month.

How educated are people in Winnebago County, Illinois?

About 23.0% 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 15.8% 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 32,437 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

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

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