Boone County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Boone County, 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 averageWealthier than 83% of counties in Illinois
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 53,226 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 188.8 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.11% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.7 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,459 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Boone County grew by 1.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 53,226 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Boone County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.8% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,587 21.8% +0.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,663 20.0% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,525 21.7% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,688 16.3% -0.6 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 50.4% of the people living in Boone County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 49.6% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Boone County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Boone County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,291 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.52% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Boone County is about 1% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $66,484 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,041 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.8% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Boone County is about 5.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,041 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Boone County spend about 47 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 | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.3 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.7 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,026 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,915 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,529 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Illinois:
Edgar County (12.0 min), Brown County (12.7 min), Morgan County (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Calhoun County (43.8 min), Pulaski County (31.2 min), Pope County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Boone County 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
Boone County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.1% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.72 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.4), Champaign County (0.4), Lake County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hardin County (0.2), Fayette County (0.2), Perry County (0.2).
Health
Boone County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Boone County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.4% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Illinois:
DuPage County (0.8), Champaign County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8).
Lowest:
Alexander County (0.8), Pulaski County (0.8), Gallatin County (0.8).
Boone County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Boone County, IL is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 53,226 residents against a local median of 164,349. Boone County, IL's median home price, at $66,484, runs 75% below the $263,961 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.3 min against a local median of 20.1 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Boone County, IL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $227,914 on median home price, so Boone County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Boone County, IL has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IL | 53,226 | $85,291 #2/6 | $66,484 #6/6 | 23.3 min #5/6 |
| Winnebago County, IL | 283,258 | $66,225 | $106,298 | 18.7 min |
| McHenry County, IL | 312,591 | $105,514 | $263,961 | 26.8 min |
| Rock County, WI | 164,349 | $75,645 | $172,262 | 19.0 min |
| DeKalb County, IL | 100,702 | $71,059 | $334,212 | 21.0 min |
| Walworth County, WI | 105,657 | $82,758 | $318,869 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Boone County, Illinois.
How many people live in Boone County, Illinois?
About 53,226 people live in Boone County, Illinois, in 19,459 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 38.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Boone County, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Boone County, Illinois has 189 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Boone County, Illinois?
The median home costs 0.8 times the median household income ($66,484 against $85,291), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,041 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Boone County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Boone County, Illinois is 7.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Boone County, Illinois have a college degree?
22.1% of adults in Boone County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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