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MICROPOLITAN AREA

Pontiac Micro

Pontiac, IL · 1 counties · 35,057 residents (2025 est.) · 1,044 sq mi
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The short version

Pontiac is a metro area of 35,565 people. 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. That puts it in the top 7% of US metro areas for household income. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $142,200. The foreign-born share is 2%. 74% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
19% 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
35,565
−10%since 2000
from 39,678 in 2000
35,057 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
34 / sq mi
−10%since 2000
from 38 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
41.8
+12%since 2000
from 37.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,044 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
35K36K38K39K40K19902000201020202024Pontiac
202436K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(2,018)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.6%(2,357)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.5%(1,953)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(2,229)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.3%(1,874)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.3%(4,390)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.9%(4,572)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.2%(3,981)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(5,027)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.8%(4,195)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.5%(1,952)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.9%(1,017)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$73,790
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,342 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,327
+103%since 2000
from $18,347 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
49.2%
+22.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.5%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.412
+1%since 2010
from 0.410 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information13.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing6.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction6.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$142,200
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $78,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$880
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $464 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
74.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2000
from 74.1% in 2000
25.7% rent
Vacancy rate
8.3%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.29 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.31 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
15.1%
−6.9 ptssince 2009
from 21.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
31.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 32.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
1.9
−3%since 2009
from 2.0 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.
Gentrification Score
27
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.1%(36,145)
Black5.1%(2,032)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(1,056)
Asian0.3%(121)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic87.7%(31,191)
Black3.4%(1,200)
Hispanic / Latino5.8%(2,070)
Asian0.6%(198)
Other2.5%(906)
Diversity Score
28
+29%since 2009
from 22 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
24
−7%since 2020
from 26 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
Mexican4.1%(1,447)
Puerto Rican0.6%(221)
Cuban0.2%(85)
Salvadoran0.2%(75)
Spaniard0.2%(69)
Honduran0.1%(39)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.2%(79)
Filipino0.2%(58)
Korean0.1%(44)
Pakistani0.1%(42)
Thai0%(14)
Chinese0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.2%(73)
Samoan0.1%(30)
Ancestry
German30.5%(10,831)
Irish14.2%(5,063)
English10.1%(3,600)
American5.3%(1,895)
Italian4.7%(1,667)
Polish3%(1,083)
French2%(703)
Swiss1.3%(466)
Norwegian1.2%(435)
Dutch1.2%(420)
Swedish1.2%(415)
Scottish1%(361)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Slovak0.9%(329)
British0.9%(321)
Danish0.9%(313)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(272)
Czech0.4%(152)
Russian0.3%(108)
Austrian0.3%(107)
Lithuanian0.3%(89)
Belgian0.1%(51)
Canadian0.1%(50)
Greek0.1%(47)
Slovene0.1%(46)
Welsh0.1%(44)
Hungarian0.1%(39)
Arab0.1%(35)
Ethiopian0%(10)
Nigerian0%(10)
Finnish0%(5)
Syrian0%(4)
Kenyan0%(1)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
19.0%
+6.4 ptssince 2000
from 12.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.6%
+10.5 ptssince 2000
from 78.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.0%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 4.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.6 min
+43%since 2000
from 15.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
80.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.0%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.5%
−4.0 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.1%
+2.2 ptssince 2011
from 57.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.3%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 73.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.1%
+5.6 ptssince 2009
from 25.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
Female
48.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
Foreign born
2.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.0%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2012
from 13.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.2%
−2.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.5%
+12.8 ptssince 2017
from 75.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.9%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 89.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 95.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 3.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.3%(5,290)
Married50.2%(7,527)
Widowed3.7%(557)
Divorced10.8%(1,624)
Women 15+
Never married23.1%(3,288)
Married51.6%(7,352)
Widowed11.3%(1,605)
Divorced14%(1,994)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.2%
−2.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
56.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 57.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.1%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 18.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 22.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.5%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 18.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 2.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.4%
−3.7 ptssince 2020
from 73.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.3%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 38.1% 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)16.1%(313)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.4%(356)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.2%(702)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.2%(121)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,940 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

PontiacCENTRAL10,806Fairbury3,597Chatsworth1,156Flanagan1,022Forrest1,015Odell974Cullom502Cornell438Saunemin402Long Point197Campus143Strawn102Emington97
What's inside

1 component county

Livingston CountyCENTRAL35,057
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Pontiac

Angola
Pop 34,799
Bennington
Pop 36,630
Detroit Lakes
Pop 35,497
Garden City
Pop 37,505
Places similar to Pontiac
Head to head

Compare Pontiac side by side

PONTIAC VS
Angola
Income$74,911+2%
Home value$216,200+52%
Population34,799−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PONTIAC VS
Bennington
Income$73,325−1%
Home value$279,900+97%
Population36,630+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PONTIAC VS
Detroit Lakes
Income$71,388−3%
Home value$291,000+105%
Population35,497+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PONTIAC VS
Garden City
Income$73,009−1%
Home value$201,400+42%
Population37,505+7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Pontiac, IL?

Pontiac, IL has about 35,565 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Pontiac, IL?

The typical household in Pontiac, IL earns about $73,790 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Pontiac, IL expensive?

In Pontiac, IL, the median home is worth about $142,200, and the typical rent is about $880 a month.

How educated are people in Pontiac, IL?

About 19.0% of adults age 25 and over in Pontiac, IL hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Pontiac, IL?

About 10.5% of people in Pontiac, IL live below the federal poverty line.

Has Pontiac, IL grown since 1990?

Yes, Pontiac, IL has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 3,736 residents, a change of about -10 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →