Montgomery County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Montgomery 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 73% of counties in Illinois
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 81% of counties in Illinois
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 70% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,942 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 39.4 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.59% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.1 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,318 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Montgomery County declined by 6.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 27,942 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Montgomery 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 5,247 18.8% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,702 20.4% -1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,977 21.4% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,369 19.2% +2.3 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 47.4% of the people living in Montgomery County and men 52.6%.
- Women 47.4% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 52.6% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Montgomery County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Montgomery County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,489 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.35% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Montgomery County is about 24% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $166,353 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $723 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.4% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Montgomery County is about 19.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $723 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Montgomery County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 139 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.7 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.3 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 139 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,305 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,762 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 496 | 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 Montgomery County is 17 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
Montgomery County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.2% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 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
Montgomery County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Montgomery County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.0 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.3% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.4% | 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).
Montgomery County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Montgomery County, IL is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 27,942 residents against a local median of 38,940. Where Montgomery County, IL breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 176% above the local median of $60,326 at $166,353.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.7 min against a local median of 20.1 min, 17% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 17% below the local median it puts Montgomery County, IL at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $22,055 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Montgomery County, IL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Montgomery County, IL has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, IL | 27,942 | $63,489 #3/5 | $166,353 #1/5 | 16.7 min #1/5 |
| Christian County, IL | 33,536 | $62,799 | $54,154 | 18.3 min |
| Macoupin County, IL | 44,343 | $72,437 | $69,312 | 23.2 min |
| Fayette County, IL | 21,314 | $60,976 | $47,257 | 21.8 min |
| Sangamon County, IL | 194,875 | $75,401 | $66,497 | 17.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Montgomery County, Illinois.
What is the population of Montgomery County, Illinois?
About 27,942 people live in Montgomery County, Illinois, in 11,318 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Montgomery County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Montgomery County, Illinois has 39 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 46% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Montgomery County, Illinois?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($166,353 against $63,489), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $723 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Montgomery County, Illinois?
17.2% of adults in Montgomery 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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