METRO AREA
Kankakee Metro
Kankakee, IL · 1 counties · 105,525 residents (2025 est.) · 676 sq mi
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The short version
Kankakee is a metro area of 106,635 people. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 21% of adults. The typical home is worth $192,600, having more than doubled since 2000. The foreign-born share is 6%. The median household earns $71,281, about 13% below the national median.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% 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
106,635
+3%since 2000
from 103,833 in 2000
105,525 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
676 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024107K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(6,063)
5 to 96.2%(6,636)
10 to 146.5%(6,925)
15 to 197.3%(7,826)
20 to 246.9%(7,312)
25 to 3412.5%(13,374)
35 to 4412.1%(12,861)
45 to 5412%(12,778)
55 to 6413%(13,830)
65 to 7410.5%(11,154)
75 to 845.7%(6,040)
85 and over1.7%(1,836)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$71,281
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,532 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
48.1%
+18.9 ptssince 2009
from 29.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.1%
Information12.9%
Finance & insurance7.9%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
Wholesale trade5.9%
Other services5%
Public administration4.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
Construction1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$192,600
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $95,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.7
−1%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.
12
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic77.8%(80,829)
Black15.4%(15,942)
Hispanic / Latino4.8%(4,959)
Asian0.7%(699)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic68%(72,459)
Black14.3%(15,220)
Hispanic / Latino12.7%(13,523)
Asian1%(1,048)
Other4.1%(4,385)
63
+26%since 2009
from 50 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
42
−3%since 2020
from 43 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
Mexican10.8%(11,477)
Central American1%(1,076)
Puerto Rican0.5%(494)
Guatemalan0.4%(453)
Salvadoran0.3%(364)
Honduran0.1%(130)
Cuban0.1%(120)
South American0.1%(112)
Panamanian0.1%(110)
Venezuelan0.1%(64)
Spaniard0%(38)
Colombian0%(30)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Filipino0.4%(378)
Asian Indian0.2%(189)
Chinese0.2%(171)
Korean0.1%(126)
Indonesian0%(48)
Vietnamese0%(44)
Thai0%(11)
Japanese0%(8)
Cambodian0%(8)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(95)
Ancestry
German19.6%(20,882)
Irish11.3%(12,000)
English7.1%(7,583)
Subsaharan African7%(7,504)
Polish5.6%(5,983)
French5.5%(5,859)
Italian4.8%(5,122)
American3.2%(3,418)
Dutch1.7%(1,800)
Swedish1.6%(1,679)
Scottish1.5%(1,549)
French Canadian1.2%(1,249)
+ 41 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.9%(921)
Norwegian0.6%(661)
Czech0.5%(548)
Lithuanian0.4%(443)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(402)
Greek0.3%(323)
Swiss0.3%(307)
Hungarian0.3%(277)
Austrian0.2%(221)
Arab0.2%(201)
Croatian0.2%(198)
West Indian0.2%(196)
British0.2%(181)
Russian0.2%(163)
Welsh0.1%(152)
Slovak0.1%(136)
Ukrainian0.1%(97)
Canadian0.1%(88)
Jamaican0.1%(77)
Haitian0.1%(71)
Brazilian0.1%(56)
Israeli0%(45)
Nigerian0%(40)
Latvian0%(36)
Portuguese0%(36)
Belgian0%(35)
Bulgarian0%(35)
Serbian0%(30)
Slovene0%(29)
Romanian0%(25)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(24)
Finnish0%(23)
Armenian0%(21)
Turkish0%(20)
Palestinian0%(19)
Lebanese0%(16)
Iranian0%(12)
Ghanaian0%(9)
Ethiopian0%(3)
Moroccan0%(2)
Kenyan0%(1)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
91.6%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 79.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 73.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.7%
+5.4 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.4%(16,836)
Married47.8%(20,446)
Widowed2.9%(1,234)
Divorced9.9%(4,237)
Women 15+
Never married33.2%(14,706)
Married44.8%(19,827)
Widowed9%(3,971)
Divorced13%(5,754)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
12.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 11.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.1%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 69.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.7%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 37.1% 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)17.9%(958)
Gulf War (1990s)19%(1,017)
Vietnam era37.5%(2,007)
Korean War2.7%(143)
World War II0.4%(24)
Share of the 5,358 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
In this metro
Largest cities
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Kankakee
Brainerd
Pop 100,562
Grand Forks
Pop 105,046
Ithaca
Pop 104,047
Fond du Lac
Pop 104,669
Places similar to KankakeeHead to head
Compare Kankakee side by side
KANKAKEE VS
Brainerd
Income$71,422same
Home value$300,990+56%
Population100,562−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KANKAKEE VS
Grand Forks
Income$69,566−2%
Home value$243,841+27%
Population105,046same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KANKAKEE VS
Ithaca
Income$74,024+4%
Home value$290,900+51%
Population104,047−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KANKAKEE VS
Fond du Lac
Income$74,275+4%
Home value$222,800+16%
Population104,669−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Kankakee, IL?
Kankakee, IL has about 106,635 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Kankakee, IL?
The typical household in Kankakee, IL earns about $71,281 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Kankakee, IL expensive?
In Kankakee, IL, the median home is worth about $192,600, and the typical rent is about $1,097 a month.
How educated are people in Kankakee, IL?
About 21.2% of adults age 25 and over in Kankakee, IL hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Kankakee, IL?
About 12.2% of people in Kankakee, IL live below the federal poverty line.
Has Kankakee, IL grown since 1990?
Yes, Kankakee, IL has grown since 1990. The population has added about 10,380 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024