Aurora, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Aurora, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 168,587 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3664.5 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.06% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.9 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 57,174 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Aurora grew by 5.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 168,587 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Aurora is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 40,023 23.7% +2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 39,816 23.6% +1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 33,457 19.8% -0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 18,228 10.8% -6.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.2% of the people living in Aurora and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 49.8% Illinois 49.4%
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Economy
Aurora has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,311 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.89% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Aurora is about 10% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $252,075 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,577 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.7% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Aurora is about 13.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,577 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Aurora spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.2 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.5 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,006 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.3% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,607 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,804 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Aurora is 23 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Aurora has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.5% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.92 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Aurora has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Aurora | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.3% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.2% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Aurora, IL Compared With Nearby Cities
Aurora, IL is the largest of the 4 cities compared here, 168,587 residents against a local median of 22,110. Where Aurora, IL breaks from the cities next to it is median home price, sitting 24% below the local median of $329,795 at $252,075.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $92,311 against a local median of $113,068, 18% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Aurora, IL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The cities themselves spread $216,036 on median home price, so Aurora, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Aurora, IL has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, IL | 168,587 | $92,311 #4/4 | $252,075 #3/4 | 23.2 min #1/4 |
| Montgomery, IL | 21,311 | $97,530 | $195,717 | 30.2 min |
| Batavia, IL | 22,110 | $120,407 | $329,795 | 23.7 min |
| Oswego, IL | 24,175 | $113,068 | $411,753 | 28.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Aurora, Illinois.
What is the population of Aurora, Illinois?
About 168,587 people live in Aurora, Illinois, in 57,174 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 33.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Aurora, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Aurora, Illinois has 3,664 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 42 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Aurora, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($252,075 against $92,311), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,577 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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