RANKING · 2025 ACS · 102 SHOWN OF 102

Most sparsely populated, Illinois counties

Illinois counties with the fewest residents per square mile (2023). This list covers the 102 counties in Illinois that qualify, ranked against each other statewide.

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YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 2000

01Pope County, ILIL3,67210−17%

02Gallatin County, ILIL4,61614−28%

03Schuyler County, ILIL6,65715−7%

04Henderson County, ILIL5,98416−27%

05Calhoun County, ILIL4,30017−15%

06Pike County, ILIL14,23117−18%

07Hamilton County, ILIL7,85918−9%

08Jasper County, ILIL9,03218−11%

09Stark County, ILIL5,31918−16%

10Scott County, ILIL4,86619−12%

11Alexander County, ILIL4,57019−52%

12Hardin County, ILIL3,58820−25%

13Greene County, ILIL11,31321−23%

14Brown County, ILIL6,40121−8%

15Hancock County, ILIL16,80321−16%

16Wayne County, ILIL15,88222−7%

17Mason County, ILIL12,41123−23%

18Iroquois County, ILIL26,15023−17%

19Washington County, ILIL13,56424−10%

20Pulaski County, ILIL4,82024−34%

21Edgar County, ILIL16,32326−17%

22Edwards County, ILIL5,89827−15%

23White County, ILIL13,25027−14%

24Shelby County, ILIL20,57627−10%

25Mercer County, ILIL15,22927−10%

26Ford County, ILIL13,21627−7%

27Clay County, ILIL12,79327−12%

28Fayette County, ILIL20,79029−5%

29Cumberland County, ILIL10,20830−9%

30Marshall County, ILIL11,47330−13%

31Warren County, ILIL16,22230−13%

32Clark County, ILIL15,11430−11%

33Cass County, ILIL12,46333−9%

34Livingston County, ILIL35,05734−12%

35Carroll County, ILIL15,41935−8%

36Putnam County, ILIL5,61935−8%

37Jo Daviess County, ILIL21,59436−3%

38Lawrence County, ILIL13,79037−11%

39Bureau County, ILIL32,51037−8%

40Menard County, ILIL11,86338−5%

41Fulton County, ILIL32,90138−14%

42De Witt County, ILIL15,11838−10%

43Piatt County, ILIL16,79138+3%

44Johnson County, ILIL13,36339+4%

45Montgomery County, ILIL28,07640−8%

46Union County, ILIL16,65640−9%

47Crawford County, ILIL18,64842−9%

48Richland County, ILIL15,21942−6%

49Moultrie County, ILIL14,37143+1%

50McDonough County, ILIL25,91644−21%

51Logan County, ILIL27,18244−13%

52Bond County, ILIL16,95945−4%

53Lee County, ILIL32,91445−9%

54Perry County, ILIL20,16046−13%

55Christian County, ILIL33,44347−5%

56Douglas County, ILIL19,88048−0%

57Wabash County, ILIL10,90749−16%

58Macoupin County, ILIL43,74851−11%

59Randolph County, ILIL29,92152−12%

60Massac County, ILIL13,50257−11%

61Morgan County, ILIL32,51557−11%

62Jersey County, ILIL21,16057−2%

63Henry County, ILIL48,09558−6%

64Saline County, ILIL22,77260−15%

65Jefferson County, ILIL36,14763−10%

66Marion County, ILIL36,38264−13%

67Knox County, ILIL47,76767−14%

68Ogle County, ILIL51,39968+1%

69Effingham County, ILIL34,51972+1%

70Woodford County, ILIL38,11172+7%

71Adams County, ILIL64,26775−6%

72Stephenson County, ILIL43,22077−12%

73Clinton County, ILIL37,12878+4%

74Whiteside County, ILIL54,12179−11%

75Vermilion County, ILIL71,25979−15%

76Jackson County, ILIL52,50190−12%

77Franklin County, ILIL36,91690−5%

78Monroe County, ILIL34,84090+26%

79Coles County, ILIL46,60792−12%

80LaSalle County, ILIL107,77395−3%

81Grundy County, ILIL54,052129+44%

82McLean County, ILIL171,419145+14%

83Kankakee County, ILIL105,525156+2%

84Williamson County, ILIL67,225160+10%

85DeKalb County, ILIL101,835161+14%

86Macon County, ILIL99,300171−13%

87Boone County, ILIL53,568191+28%

88Tazewell County, ILIL130,049201+1%

89Champaign County, ILIL209,972211+17%

90Sangamon County, ILIL194,170224+3%

91Peoria County, ILIL178,553289−3%

92Rock Island County, ILIL141,869332−5%

93Madison County, ILIL263,110368+2%

94St. Clair County, ILIL250,708381−2%

95Kendall County, ILIL145,470454+167%

96McHenry County, ILIL317,751527+22%

97Winnebago County, ILIL283,674553+2%

98Will County, ILIL712,253852+42%

99Kane County, ILIL525,7571,012+30%

100Lake County, ILIL719,3391,622+12%

101DuPage County, ILIL934,2982,850+3%

102Cook County, ILIL5,194,6255,497−3%

SHOWING 1–102 OF 102

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UPDATED 2026-06-02 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR ESTIMATES