Will County, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Will 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 averageHealthier than 84% of counties in Illinois
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 95% of counties in Illinois
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 90% of counties in Illinois
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 701,595 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 826.7 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.27% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 244,321 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Will County grew by 5.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 701,595 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Will County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.4% of residents. That is 2.0 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 154,374 22.0% +0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 150,703 21.5% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 157,309 22.4% +2.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 100,313 14.3% -2.6 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 50.2% of the people living in Will County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 49.8% Illinois 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Will County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Will County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,769 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.39% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Will County is about 31% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $214,302 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,462 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.8% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Will County is about 12.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,462 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Will County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 235 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.2 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 56.5 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 235 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,295 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.7% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,444 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,820 | 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 Will County is 28 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
Will County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.3% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.84 | 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
Will County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Will County | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.2% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.0% | 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).
Will County, IL Compared With Nearby Counties
Will County, IL is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 701,595 residents against a local median of 137,674. Will County, IL's commute, at 28.2 min, runs 20% above the 23.6 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $109,769 against a local median of $92,779, 18% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Will County, IL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 10.6 min on commute, so Will County, IL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Will County, IL has the 4th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will County, IL | 701,595 | $109,769 #3/6 | $214,302 #4/6 | 28.2 min #4/6 |
| Kankakee County, IL | 106,635 | $72,136 | $136,128 | 20.0 min |
| DuPage County, IL | 929,812 | $112,172 | $400,376 | 23.6 min |
| Grundy County, IL | 53,223 | $92,779 | $110,688 | 23.4 min |
| Kendall County, IL | 137,674 | $110,609 | $332,795 | 30.6 min |
| Cook County, IL | 5,180,889 | $84,208 | $248,814 | 30.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Will County, Illinois.
How many people live in Will County, Illinois?
About 701,595 people live in Will County, Illinois, in 244,321 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 37.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Will County, Illinois?
Averaged over its land area, Will County, Illinois has 827 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Will County, Illinois?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($214,302 against $109,769), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,462 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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