Franklin County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Franklin 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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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 94% of counties in Illinois
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 87% of counties in Illinois
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 37,318 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 86.5 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.71% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.6 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 16,135 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Franklin County declined by 5.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 37,318 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Franklin 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 6,909 18.5% -2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,072 19.0% -2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,809 20.9% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,794 20.9% +4.0 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 50.6% of the people living in Franklin County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 49.4% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Franklin County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Franklin County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,264 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.79% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.6% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Franklin County is about 32% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $48,166 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $803 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.1% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Franklin County is about 5.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $803 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Franklin County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 192 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.0 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.0 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 192 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,937 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,504 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,023 | 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 Franklin 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
Franklin County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.6% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 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
Franklin County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Franklin County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.1% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.7% | 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).
Franklin County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Franklin County, IL is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 37,318 residents against a local median of 29,881. The measure that sets Franklin County, IL apart most is median home price: $48,166, 41% below the local median of $82,026.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.0 min against a local median of 18.0 min, 28% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 28% above the local median it puts Franklin County, IL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $167,782 on median home price, so Franklin County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Franklin County, IL has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, IL | 37,318 | $57,264 #4/5 | $48,166 #5/5 | 23.0 min #5/5 |
| Williamson County, IL | 66,874 | $65,527 | $94,999 | 18.5 min |
| Jefferson County, IL | 36,549 | $62,660 | $225,000 | 16.7 min |
| Saline County, IL | 23,213 | $53,513 | $57,217 | 17.4 min |
| Perry County, IL | 20,638 | $63,094 | $69,053 | 20.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Franklin County, Illinois.
How many people live in Franklin County, Illinois?
About 37,318 people live in Franklin County, Illinois, in 16,135 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Franklin County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Franklin County, Illinois has 86 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Franklin County, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.8 times the median household income ($48,166 against $57,264), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $803 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Franklin County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Franklin County, Illinois is 7.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Franklin County, Illinois?
16.6% of adults in Franklin County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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