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STATE · ADMITTED 1818

Illinois

12,694,798 residents · 102 counties · 1461 cities · 55,519 sq mi · 3,265 census tracts
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The short version

Illinois is home to 12,694,798 people. Few US states rank higher on income. The typical home is worth $263,300, having more than doubled since 2000. About 38% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population has held roughly steady since 2000. Households earn $83,390 at the median, near the US median.

IL
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
12,694,798
+2%since 2000
from 12,419,293 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Population density
229 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 230 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.0
+12%since 2000
from 34.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
55,519 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
11.3M11.7M12.2M12.6M13.0M19902000201020202024Illinois
202412.7M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(691,211)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(764,647)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.4%(806,396)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(839,956)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.5%(825,584)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.6%(1,726,336)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.3%(1,687,923)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.4%(1,575,366)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.8%(1,621,165)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410%(1,273,219)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.9%(624,933)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(258,062)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$83,390
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,590 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$46,406
+101%since 2000
from $23,104 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
54.6%
+19.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 10.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.481
+4%since 2010
from 0.465 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.5%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services7.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration5.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade5.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$263,300
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $127,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,274
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $605 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
67.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2000
from 67.3% in 2000
32.9% rent
Vacancy rate
7.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.46 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.62 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.2%
−9.4 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 46.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
−13%since 2009
from 3.6 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-Hispanic67.8%(8,424,140)
Black14.9%(1,856,152)
Hispanic / Latino12.3%(1,530,262)
Asian3.4%(419,916)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic58.1%(7,370,665)
Black13.3%(1,693,169)
Hispanic / Latino18.8%(2,387,049)
Asian5.9%(754,004)
Other3.9%(489,911)
Diversity Score
76
+14%since 2009
from 66 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican14.4%(1,825,458)
Puerto Rican1.6%(207,101)
South American1%(129,348)
Central American0.8%(102,759)
Guatemalan0.4%(45,473)
Ecuadorian0.3%(36,496)
Colombian0.3%(36,338)
Cuban0.3%(32,552)
Honduran0.2%(22,865)
Venezuelan0.2%(22,070)
Salvadoran0.2%(21,409)
Spaniard0.2%(21,156)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(14,796)
Dominican0.1%(10,133)
Argentine0.1%(8,089)
Chilean0%(5,599)
Nicaraguan0%(5,201)
Panamanian0%(4,403)
Bolivian0%(2,994)
Costa Rican0%(2,943)
Uruguayan0%(1,241)
Paraguayan0%(751)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.1%(263,055)
Filipino1.1%(134,975)
Chinese1%(130,471)
Korean0.5%(59,252)
Pakistani0.4%(44,501)
Vietnamese0.2%(27,666)
Japanese0.1%(16,441)
Burmese0.1%(7,961)
Taiwanese0.1%(7,832)
Thai0.1%(7,526)
Laotian0%(6,022)
Mongolian0%(5,532)
+ 13 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0%(3,859)
Nepalese0%(3,805)
Bangladeshi0%(3,587)
Kazakh0%(2,471)
Indonesian0%(1,635)
Sri Lankan0%(1,524)
Uzbek0%(1,230)
Malaysian0%(928)
Hmong0%(524)
Bhutanese0%(147)
Okinawan0%(74)
Mien0%(39)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(2,353)
Chamorro0%(1,483)
Tongan0%(558)
Guamanian0%(419)
Fijian0%(312)
Ancestry
German16.1%(2,044,612)
Irish10.6%(1,342,703)
English6.9%(870,350)
Polish6.1%(769,227)
Italian5.4%(681,774)
American3.4%(428,117)
Swedish1.7%(211,655)
French1.4%(177,574)
Subsaharan African1.2%(149,791)
Scottish1.2%(147,954)
Norwegian1%(126,437)
Dutch1%(121,251)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.8%(99,348)
Russian0.7%(93,334)
Greek0.7%(84,385)
Czech0.7%(83,490)
Lithuanian0.6%(71,432)
Ukrainian0.5%(65,143)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(59,298)
Welsh0.3%(40,678)
Hungarian0.3%(40,042)
West Indian0.3%(38,723)
Danish0.3%(36,313)
Croatian0.3%(35,374)
Nigerian0.3%(34,610)
Romanian0.3%(33,564)
British0.2%(31,593)
Austrian0.2%(30,618)
Swiss0.2%(29,940)
Slovak0.2%(29,908)
French Canadian0.2%(26,864)
Serbian0.2%(23,905)
Palestinian0.2%(22,713)
Belgian0.2%(21,768)
Bulgarian0.1%(16,358)
Jamaican0.1%(16,150)
Lebanese0.1%(14,591)
Finnish0.1%(14,321)
Iranian0.1%(12,635)
Canadian0.1%(12,442)
Portuguese0.1%(12,206)
Slovene0.1%(11,367)
Armenian0.1%(9,675)
Jordanian0.1%(9,522)
Haitian0.1%(9,473)
Ghanaian0.1%(9,059)
Turkish0.1%(8,814)
Iraqi0.1%(7,651)
Egyptian0.1%(7,574)
Ethiopian0.1%(7,374)
Brazilian0.1%(7,035)
Macedonian0.1%(6,648)
Moroccan0.1%(6,554)
Syrian0%(5,728)
Latvian0%(4,536)
Australian0%(3,632)
Israeli0%(3,432)
Kenyan0%(1,436)
Somali0%(1,433)
Guyanese0%(892)
Barbadian0%(793)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.8%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 26.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.5%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 81.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
15.3%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 9.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.8 min
+37%since 2000
from 20.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
65.9%
−7.6 ptssince 2009
from 73.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
5.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
15.9%
+12.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
11.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.8%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 9.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.0%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 66.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 75.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
43.3%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 35.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
14.7%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.8%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.1%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 10.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.9%
−6.1 ptssince 2013
from 13.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.8%
+12.4 ptssince 2017
from 78.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.2%
+3.7 ptssince 2020
from 91.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.9%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 87.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
76.0%
−1.4 ptssince 2016
from 77.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
14.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2016
from 13.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39%(1,996,312)
Married50%(2,556,731)
Widowed2.7%(137,161)
Divorced8.3%(426,173)
Women 15+
Never married33.9%(1,802,939)
Married46.8%(2,489,903)
Widowed8.4%(446,341)
Divorced10.9%(576,984)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.9%
−6.1 ptssince 2013
from 13.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
59.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 59.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 13.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 16.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 19.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.4%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 70.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.0%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 33.7% 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)23.3%(111,588)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)20.7%(98,793)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.4%(164,674)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(24,639)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.4%(6,791)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 478,196 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
Section 02

Largest cities

See all cities in Illinois →
1.Chicago2,731,585
2.Aurora181,505
3.Naperville153,114
4.Joliet152,241
5.Rockford147,384
6.Elgin115,476
7.Springfield112,989
8.Peoria110,920
9.Champaign91,195
10.Waukegan87,940
11.Cicero81,858
12.Bloomington78,804
13.Schaumburg77,249
14.Evanston76,380
16.Bolingbrook74,803
17.Decatur67,884
18.Skokie66,544
19.Palatine65,842
20.Des Plaines58,772
21.Orland Park57,954
22.Oak Lawn56,450
24.Tinley Park55,140
25.Berwyn55,001
26.Wheaton54,065
27.Normal53,275
28.Oak Park52,823
30.Downers Grove50,365
31.Plainfield50,043
32.Glenview47,711
33.Elmhurst46,111
34.Lombard44,399
35.Buffalo Grove42,812
36.Moline42,362
37.Crystal Lake42,288
38.Romeoville41,281
39.Bartlett40,855
40.DeKalb40,467
41.Belleville40,237
42.Oswego39,948
43.Urbana39,719
44.Carol Stream39,315
45.Quincy38,918
Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (8)
1.Chicago9,434,123
2.Peoria363,505
3.Rockford337,242
4.Champaign239,979
5.Springfield206,033
6.Bloomington171,419
7.Kankakee105,525
8.Decatur99,300
Micropolitan areas (20)
1.Ottawa145,902
2.Quincy74,146
3.Danville71,259
4.Marion67,225
5.Sterling54,121
6.Carbondale52,501
7.Rochelle51,399
8.Galesburg47,767
9.Charleston46,607
10.Effingham44,727
11.Freeport43,220
12.Jacksonville37,381
13.Centralia36,382
14.Mount Vernon36,147
15.Pontiac35,057
16.Taylorville33,443
17.Dixon32,914
18.Canton32,901
19.Lincoln27,182
20.Macomb25,916

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

Frequently asked

How many people live in Illinois?

Illinois has about 12,694,798 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Illinois?

The typical household in Illinois earns about $83,390 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Illinois expensive?

In Illinois, the median home is worth about $263,300, and the typical rent is about $1,274 a month.

How educated are people in Illinois?

About 37.8% of adults age 25 and over in Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Illinois?

About 11.8% of people in Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 1,264,196 residents, a change of about 11 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 →