Pope County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pope 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 averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Illinois
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 91% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,739 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 10.0 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.59% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 52.9 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,385 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pope County declined by 8.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,739 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pope County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.8% of residents. That is 8.9 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 622 16.6% -4.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 548 14.7% -7.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 962 25.7% +5.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 965 25.8% +8.9 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 49.1% of the people living in Pope County and men 50.9%.
- Women 49.1% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.9% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pope County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pope County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,050 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.78% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pope County is about 29% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $44,166 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $448 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.3% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pope County is about 8.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $448 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pope County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 258 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.0 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.0 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 258 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,011 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.0% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,473 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 627 | 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 Pope County is 31 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
Pope County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 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
Pope County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pope County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.6% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.3% | 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).
Pope County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Pope County, IL compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County, IL | 3,739 | $60,050 #1/2 | $44,166 #2/2 | 31.0 min #2/2 |
| Saline County, IL | 23,213 | $53,513 | $57,217 | 17.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pope County, Illinois.
How big is Pope County, Illinois by population?
About 3,739 people live in Pope County, Illinois, in 1,385 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 52.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 16 years.
Is Pope County, Illinois urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pope County, Illinois has 10 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 12% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pope County, Illinois?
The median home costs 0.7 times the median household income ($44,166 against $60,050), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $448 a month takes about 9% 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 Pope County, Illinois?
Unemployment in Pope County, Illinois is only 2.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Pope County, Illinois?
14.2% of adults in Pope County, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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