Henry County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Henry 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.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 70% of counties in Illinois
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 73% of counties in Illinois
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 73% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 48,639 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 58.9 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.26% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.7 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 20,271 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Henry County declined by 1.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 48,639 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Henry County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.4% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,828 18.2% -3.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,493 19.5% -2.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,397 21.4% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,892 20.3% +3.4 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 Henry 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 Henry County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Henry County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,913 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.43% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Henry County is about 14% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $61,118 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $842 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.9% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Henry County is about 6.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $842 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Henry County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.4 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,354 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,588 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 811 | 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 Henry County is 21 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
Henry County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.3% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.36 | 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
Henry County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Henry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.7% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.1% | 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).
Henry County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Henry County, IL is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 48,639 residents against a local median of 98,817. Henry County, IL's median home price, at $61,118, runs 50% below the $121,685 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.7 min against a local median of 16.9 min, 22% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 22% above the local median it puts Henry County, IL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $141,416 on median home price, so Henry County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Henry County, IL has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County, IL | 48,639 | $71,913 #2/5 | $61,118 #4/5 | 20.7 min #5/5 |
| Knox County, IL | 49,044 | $57,634 | $28,739 | 14.0 min |
| Rock Island County, IL | 142,693 | $67,544 | $170,155 | 17.8 min |
| Whiteside County, IL | 54,941 | $67,250 | $75,302 | 16.0 min |
| Scott County, IA | 174,608 | $78,775 | $168,067 | 18.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Henry County, Illinois.
What is the population of Henry County, Illinois?
About 48,639 people live in Henry County, Illinois, in 20,271 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Henry County, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Henry County, Illinois has 59 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Henry County, Illinois?
The median home costs 0.8 times the median household income ($61,118 against $71,913), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $842 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Henry County, Illinois have a college degree?
23.3% of adults in Henry County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →