Fayette County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fayette 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 averageLess healthy than 80% of counties in Illinois
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in Illinois
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,314 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 29.4 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.41% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,814 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fayette County grew by 1.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,314 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fayette County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.9% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,278 20.1% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,317 20.3% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,453 20.9% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,083 19.2% +2.2 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 48.0% of the people living in Fayette County and men 52.0%.
- Women 48.0% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 52.0% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Fayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Fayette County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,976 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.04% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fayette County is about 27% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $47,257 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $797 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.6% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fayette County is about 4.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $797 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fayette County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.6 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 182 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,633 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,285 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 498 | 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 Fayette County is 22 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
Fayette County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.3% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 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
Fayette County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Fayette County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.1 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.7% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.5% | 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).
Fayette County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, IL is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 21,314 residents against a local median of 31,231. The measure that sets Fayette County, IL apart most is median home price: $47,257, 57% below the local median of $110,264.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.8 min against a local median of 16.7 min, 31% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 31% above the local median it puts Fayette County, IL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $192,373 on median home price, so Fayette County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fayette County, IL has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, IL | 21,314 | $60,976 #5/5 | $47,257 #4/5 | 21.8 min #5/5 |
| Marion County, IL | 37,000 | $61,117 | $27,338 | 16.6 min |
| Effingham County, IL | 34,520 | $81,070 | $219,711 | 13.8 min |
| Shelby County, IL | 20,718 | $72,365 | $54,174 | 17.2 min |
| Montgomery County, IL | 27,942 | $63,489 | $166,353 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fayette County, Illinois.
How many people live in Fayette County, Illinois?
About 21,314 people live in Fayette County, Illinois, in 7,814 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Fayette County, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Fayette County, Illinois has 29 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 34% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Fayette County, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.8 times the median household income ($47,257 against $60,976), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $797 a month takes about 16% 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 Fayette County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Fayette County, Illinois is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Fayette County, Illinois?
13.3% of adults in Fayette County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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