Perry County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Perry 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 average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 91% of counties in Illinois
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,638 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 46.2 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.57% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,875 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Perry County declined by 8.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,638 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Perry County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.4% of residents. That is 0.5 points below Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,241 20.6% -0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,416 21.4% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,274 20.7% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,794 18.4% +1.5 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 44.7% of the people living in Perry County and men 55.3%.
- Women 44.7% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 55.3% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Perry County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Perry County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,094 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.79% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Perry County is about 25% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $69,053 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $728 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.9% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Perry County is about 7.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $728 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Perry 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 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,314 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.7% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 951 | 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 Perry 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
Perry County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.3% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.30 | 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
Perry County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Perry County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.3% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.9% | 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).
Perry County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Perry County, IL is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,638 residents against a local median of 36,934. Perry County, IL's commute, at 20.6 min, runs 18% above the 17.5 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $69,053 against a local median of $59,298, 16% above it. The counties themselves spread 6.5 min on commute, so Perry County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Perry County, IL has the 4th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County, IL | 20,638 | $63,094 #2/5 | $69,053 #3/5 | 20.6 min #4/5 |
| Jackson County, IL | 53,061 | $48,884 | $69,066 | 16.5 min |
| Franklin County, IL | 37,318 | $57,264 | $48,166 | 23.0 min |
| Randolph County, IL | 30,051 | $69,106 | $49,530 | 18.3 min |
| Jefferson County, IL | 36,549 | $62,660 | $225,000 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Perry County, Illinois.
What is the population of Perry County, Illinois?
About 20,638 people live in Perry County, Illinois, in 7,875 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Perry County, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Perry County, Illinois has 46 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 53% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Perry County, Illinois?
The median home costs 1.1 times the median household income ($69,053 against $63,094), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $728 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 Perry County, Illinois?
10.3% of adults in Perry County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 10), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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