Pulaski County, Illinois Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Pulaski 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.

  • C
    Health Below average
    Among the 3 least healthy counties in Illinois
  • D
    Income Well below average
    Among the 3 least wealthy counties in Illinois
  • F
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 85% of counties in Illinois

Source: Map AI Methodology

Pulaski County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Population 5,015 12,692,444 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 24.7 219.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -1.80% -0.16% 0.59%
Median age 41.1 37.4 37.3
Households 1,937 5,035,584 130,235,071

Population in Pulaski County declined by 22.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,015 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Pulaski County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Pulaski County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Illinois as a whole.

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 50.0% of the people living in Pulaski County and men 50.0%.

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5,015

100% of everyone living in Pulaski County

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Economy

Pulaski County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $42,913 $84,042 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.52% 4.46% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 4.3% 5.8% 5.2%

The median household income in Pulaski County is about 49% lower than in Illinois.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $5,999 $149,936 $248,835
Median rent $633 $1,274 $1,407
Homeownership rate 68.2% 67.1% 65.2%

The median home price in Pulaski County is about 0.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $633 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Pulaski 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 260 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 31.2 23.6 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 62.4 47.3 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 260 197 187
Estimated yearly cost $8,059 $6,104 $5,790
Work from home 9.3% 15.9% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 3,960 7,977 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 363 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 Pulaski 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Pulaski County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 13.7% 34.1% 31.6%
Average household size 2.49 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

Pulaski County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Pulaski County Illinois Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 75.2 77.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 22.1% 15.6% 16.3%
Smokers 22.7% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Pulaski County, Illinois.

How many people live in Pulaski County, Illinois?

About 5,015 people live in Pulaski County, Illinois, in 1,937 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.

Is Pulaski County, Illinois urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Pulaski County, Illinois has 25 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 29% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Pulaski County, Illinois?

The median home costs 0.1 times the median household income ($5,999 against $42,913), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $633 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How common is a college degree in Pulaski County, Illinois?

13.7% of adults in Pulaski 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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