Calhoun County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Calhoun 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 averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Illinois
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,330 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 15.3 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.68% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,239 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Calhoun County declined by 14.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4,330 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Calhoun County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.6% of residents. That is 5.7 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 729 16.8% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 745 17.2% -4.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 975 22.5% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 980 22.6% +5.7 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 49.5% of the people living in Calhoun County and men 50.5%.
- Women 49.5% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.5% Illinois 49.4%
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100% of everyone living in Calhoun County
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Economy
Calhoun County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,454 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.02% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Calhoun County is about 10% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $92,500 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $583 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 88.7% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Calhoun County is about 13.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $583 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Calhoun County spend about 88 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 365 hours, about 15.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 43.8 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 87.7 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 365 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $11,324 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 20.1% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,812 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,591 | 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 Calhoun County is 44 minutes, longer 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
Calhoun County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.7% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.40 | 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
Calhoun County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Calhoun County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.2 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.2% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 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).
Calhoun County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Calhoun County, IL is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 4,330 residents against a local median of 63,057. The measure that sets Calhoun County, IL apart most is commute: 43.8 min, 92% above the local median of 22.8 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $92,500 against a local median of $206,522, 55% below it. The counties themselves sit within 8.0 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Calhoun County, IL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Calhoun County, IL has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, IL | 4,330 | $92,454 #2/4 | $92,500 #4/4 | 43.8 min #4/4 |
| Lincoln County, MO | 63,057 | $88,874 | $206,522 | 30.7 min |
| Jersey County, IL | 21,266 | $78,198 | $129,386 | 22.8 min |
| St. Charles County, MO | 414,008 | $105,635 | $326,504 | 22.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Calhoun County, Illinois.
How big is Calhoun County, Illinois by population?
About 4,330 people live in Calhoun County, Illinois, in 1,239 households of 3.4 people on average. The median age is 46.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Calhoun County, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Calhoun County, Illinois has 15 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 18% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Calhoun County, Illinois?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($92,500 against $92,454), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $583 a month takes about 8% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Calhoun County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Calhoun County, Illinois is only 3.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Calhoun County, Illinois have a college degree?
18.7% of adults in Calhoun 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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