Illinois

Key Details

• Illinois has an estimated population of 12.8 million.
• The 12.8 million Illinois residents live in about 5.4 million housing units, of which at least 428,000 are reportedly vacant.
• About 25.2% of Illinois demography aged 25 years and over have a high school diploma or its equivalent as their highest educational qualification, while 22.5% hold a Bachelor's degree.
• The 2024 Governor of Illinois is J.B. Pritzker, and he is a Democrat.
• Illinois's median household income is about $78,400, a little above the national average.
• The life expectancy at birth in Illinois is 76.8.

Illinois Population Demographics

Illinois is the fifth most populous state in the United States, with an estimated 12.8 million residents in 2022 and a population density of around 230 persons per square mile. About 94% of the state residents are United States Citizens.

The White race accounts for the largest population share in Illinois at about 67.85%, followed by Black or African Americans with around 14.07% of the entire state population. Asians make up nearly 6% of the Illinois population.

About 1.8 million foreign-born immigrants live in Illinois, representing 14% of the entire state population. The distribution of the Illinois population by gender shows more women than men, with 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

Elections and Voting

Illinois has a few requirements for anyone to be able to register as a voter in the state, including the following:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a United States citizen
• Be a resident of the precinct where they intend to vote for 30 days

The major political parties in Illinois are the Republican and Democratic parties, and the Democrats have won most recent elections in the state. These include elections for the positions of governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. Senator, most congresses, secretary of state, attorney general, and comptroller. In the 2022 general elections, 54.9% of registered Illinois voters cast their votes for J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, to become the state governor, a similar feat to the 2018 general elections when he took 54.5% of the votes. The Republican party candidates came second in both elections.

Since 1900, Illinois has had 31 presidential elections, 15 of which were won by the Republican party and 16 by the Democratic party. The Democratic party has also won all the presidential general elections in the state over the last two decades, with 2020 being the most recent. In 2020, 57.5% of the total registered voters in Illinois voted for Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat, while 40.6% voted for a Republican, Donald J. Trump. It was the same trend in the 2016 general elections, where 55.8% of registered voters in Illinois chose the Democratic party presidential candidate over the Republican party candidate, who got 38.8% of the total votes.

Housing, Income, and Employment

Over 5.4 million housing units accommodate Illinois's 12.8 million residents. However, about 428,000 of these housing units were vacant as of 2020. The average household size in the state is 2.51 people.

Home prices in Illinois are among the most affordable in the U.S., considering that the median household income is slightly above the nation's median. The average home cost in the state is around $236,000, which is significantly below the national average of about $495,000. The median household income in Illinois is around $78,400. Depending on the location, home rentals average about $790 for a studio apartment, $870 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $1,100 for a two-bedroom house.

Nearly 6 million Illinoisans are employed, and the workforce comprises 52% men and 48% women. According to reports, Illinois's unemployment rate was 4.90% as of May 2024, which is lower than the long-term average of about 6.76%.

Illinois Crime Rates

While violent crimes are a challenge in Illinois, property crime has declined over the years. The state's violent crime rate, at 24.8, is slightly higher than the United States average of 22.7. Conversely, Illinois's property crime rate, at 30.9, is notably lower than the national average of 35.4.

The following is the breakdown of annual violent crime rates in Illinois:

• Rape - 0.48 per 1,000 people
• Murder - 0.08 per 1,000 residents
• Assault - 1.47 peer 1.000 people
• Robbery - 0.85 per 1,000 residents

The chances of becoming a property crime victim in Illinois is 1 in 59, and the annual rate per 1,000 residents for each type of property crime is outlined below:

• Theft - 11.9 per 1,000 persons
• Burglary - 2.08 per 1,000 residents
• Car theft - 2.82 per 1,000 people

How to Find People in Illinois

The many public online phone books and directories have made finding people in Illinois easy. Nowadays, people leave certain contact information on these directories to enable anyone to get in touch. Similarly, social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram and professional accounts like LinkedIn are great places to find anyone in Illinois.

Interesting Facts About Illinois