Cook County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cook 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 71% of counties in Illinois
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 77% of counties in Illinois
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,180,889 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3171.7 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.11% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.8 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,099,812 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cook County declined by 1.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,180,889 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cook County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.9% of residents. That is 2.0 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,107,030 21.4% +0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,239,355 23.9% +2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,021,550 19.7% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 820,092 15.8% -1.1 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 51.2% of the people living in Cook County and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 48.8% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cook County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cook County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $84,208 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.92% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.0% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cook County is about the same as in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $248,814 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,434 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 57.7% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cook County is about 14.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,434 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cook County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 255 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.6 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.2 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 255 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,904 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 18.9% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,654 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,776 | 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 Cook County is 31 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
Cook County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.8% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 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
Cook County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cook County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.9% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.7% | 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).
Cook County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Cook County, IL is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 5,180,889 residents against a local median of 701,595. Where Cook County, IL breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 29% above the local median of 23.7 min at 30.6 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $84,208 against a local median of $109,769, 23% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Cook County, IL reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread 7.3 min on commute, so Cook County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cook County, IL has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 5,180,889 | $84,208 #4/6 | $248,814 #2/6 | 30.6 min #6/6 |
| Lake County, IL | 714,026 | $111,219 | $221,886 | 25.6 min |
| DuPage County, IL | 929,812 | $112,172 | $400,376 | 23.6 min |
| Lake County, IN | 498,291 | $71,540 | $107,473 | 23.7 min |
| Will County, IL | 701,595 | $109,769 | $214,302 | 28.2 min |
| Kenosha County, WI | 168,436 | $81,631 | $172,058 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cook County, Illinois.
What is the population of Cook County, Illinois?
About 5,180,889 people live in Cook County, Illinois, in 2,099,812 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 35.8, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Cook County, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cook County, Illinois has 3,172 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 37 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cook County, Illinois?
The median home costs 3.0 times the median household income ($248,814 against $84,208), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,434 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Cook County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Cook County, Illinois is 7.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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