Menard County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Menard 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 83% of counties in Illinois
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 94% of counties in Illinois
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 76% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,095 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 38.3 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.49% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,228 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Menard County declined by 2.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,095 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Menard County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.3% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,147 17.7% -3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,316 19.1% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,699 22.3% +1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,486 20.6% +3.6 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 51.3% of the people living in Menard County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 48.7% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Menard County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Menard County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $84,868 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.38% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Menard County is about 1% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $58,333 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $884 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.5% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Menard County is about 5.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $884 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Menard County spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 227 hours, about 9.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.3 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.6 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 227 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,048 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,831 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,213 | 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 Menard County is 27 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
Menard County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.8% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 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
Menard County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Menard County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.7% | 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).
Menard County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Menard County, IL is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 12,095 residents against a local median of 33,021. The measure that sets Menard County, IL apart most is commute: 27.3 min, 68% above the local median of 16.2 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $58,333 against a local median of $87,894, 34% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Menard County, IL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within 4.5 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Menard County, IL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Menard County, IL has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menard County, IL | 12,095 | $84,868 #1/4 | $58,333 #4/4 | 27.3 min #4/4 |
| Sangamon County, IL | 194,875 | $75,401 | $66,497 | 17.6 min |
| Logan County, IL | 27,712 | $66,476 | $87,894 | 16.2 min |
| Morgan County, IL | 33,021 | $65,762 | $93,502 | 13.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Menard County, Illinois.
How big is Menard County, Illinois by population?
About 12,095 people live in Menard County, Illinois, in 5,228 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Menard County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Menard County, Illinois has 38 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 44% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Menard County, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.7 times the median household income ($58,333 against $84,868), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $884 a month takes about 12% 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 Menard County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Menard County, Illinois is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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