Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Illinois Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 76% of states in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Illinois declined by 0.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,692,444 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Illinois is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.9% of residents. That is 0.3 points below the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,697,233 21.3% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,777,036 21.9% -0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,588,062 20.4% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,146,695 16.9% on par
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below the US, 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 Illinois and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% the US 50.5%
- Men 49.4% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Illinois
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Illinois has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Illinois is about 4% higher than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Illinois is about 9.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,274 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Illinois spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 197 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Illinois is 24 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in US.
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
Illinois has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
Illinois has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
Illinois Compared With Nearby States
Illinois is the largest of the 6 states compared here, 12,692,444 residents against a local median of 5,910,864. Where Illinois breaks from the states next to it is median household income, sitting 17% above the local median of $71,967 at $84,042. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The states themselves spread $13,387 on median household income, so Illinois sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Illinois has the highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 12,692,444 | $84,042 #1/6 | $149,936 #3/6 | 23.6 min #6/6 |
| Indiana | 6,845,048 | $71,967 | $142,738 | 21.1 min |
| Missouri | 6,186,340 | $70,801 | $145,462 | 21.0 min |
| Wisconsin | 5,910,864 | $77,698 | $170,479 | 18.8 min |
| Kentucky | 4,533,530 | $64,312 | $118,017 | 20.8 min |
| Iowa | 3,204,793 | $75,133 | $153,425 | 17.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Illinois.
How many people live in Illinois?
About 12,692,444 people live in Illinois, in 5,035,584 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Illinois has 219 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Illinois?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($149,936 against $84,042), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,274 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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