Lake County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lake 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 95% of counties in Illinois
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Illinois
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A
Education Above averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 714,026 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 522.2 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.20% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 258,376 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lake County grew by 1.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 714,026 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lake County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.6% of residents. That is 1.3 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 161,302 22.6% +1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 144,944 20.3% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 157,511 22.1% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 109,604 15.4% -1.6 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 49.6% of the people living in Lake County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.4% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lake County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,219 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.12% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lake County is about 32% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $221,886 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,476 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.8% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lake County is about 12.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,476 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lake County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 213 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.6 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.1 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 213 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,605 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.5% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,668 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,906 | 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 Lake County is 26 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
Lake County has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42.5% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.69 | 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
Lake County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lake County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.5% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.8% | 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).
Lake County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Lake County, IL is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 714,026 residents against a local median of 925,807. The measure that sets Lake County, IL apart most is median household income: $111,219, 36% above the local median of $81,631. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $221,886 against a local median of $175,947, 26% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Lake County, IL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $47,200 on median household income, so Lake County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lake County, IL has the 2nd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IL | 714,026 | $111,219 #2/6 | $221,886 #3/6 | 25.6 min #5/6 |
| Kenosha County, WI | 168,436 | $81,631 | $172,058 | 21.0 min |
| Cook County, IL | 5,180,889 | $84,208 | $248,814 | 30.6 min |
| Racine County, WI | 197,532 | $78,183 | $175,947 | 21.2 min |
| DuPage County, IL | 929,812 | $112,172 | $400,376 | 23.6 min |
| Milwaukee County, WI | 925,807 | $64,972 | $169,943 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lake County, Illinois.
How big is Lake County, Illinois by population?
About 714,026 people live in Lake County, Illinois, in 258,376 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 37.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Lake County, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lake County, Illinois has 522 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lake County, Illinois?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($221,886 against $111,219), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,476 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Lake County, Illinois?
42.5% of adults in Lake County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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