Coles County, IL

County

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2024 Population

46,777

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.5

1.83% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.7%

1.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$56,478

0.782% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$127,400

4.51% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

22,336

1.75% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Coles County, IL reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.7% of the residents in Coles County, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Coles County, IL are Lake Land College (2,954 degrees awarded in 2023) and Eastern Illinois University (2,459 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Coles County, IL was $127,400, and the homeownership rate was 60.4%.

Most people in Coles County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Coles County, IL was 2 cars per household.

Coles County, IL borders Clark County, IL, Cumberland County, IL, Douglas County, IL, Edgar County, IL, Moultrie County, IL, and Shelby County, IL.

United States Illinois Charleston-Mattoon, IL

Population & Diversity

Coles County, IL is home to a population of 46.8k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.77% of Coles County, IL residents were born outside of the country (1.3k people).

In 2024, there were 24.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (41.1k people) in Coles County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.67k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.17k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Coles County, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Coles County, IL was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Coles County, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Coles County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
41.1k ± 196
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.67k ± 239
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.17k ± 249

3.87%

Hispanic Population

1.81k people

3.87% of the people in Coles County, IL are hispanic (1.81k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Coles County, IL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
633,244 ± 19,044 people
India
161,770 ± 9,812 people
Poland
119,556 ± 8,449 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 633,244 Illinois residents, followed by India with 161,770 and Poland with 119,556.

Foreign-Born Population

2.77%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.3k people

2.39%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.12k people

As of 2024, 2.77% of Coles County, IL residents (1.3k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Coles County, IL was 2.39%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Coles County, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
700 ± 134
Gulf War (2001-)
534 ± 162
Gulf War (1990s)
301 ± 114

Coles County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.31 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Coles County, IL.

Economy

The economy of Coles County, IL employs 22.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Coles County, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,649 people), Educational Services (2,996 people), and Retail Trade (2,859 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($105,750), Information ($75,893), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($70,389).

Employment

Occupations

22.3k

2024 Value

± 1,141

−1.75%

1 Year decline

± 7.41%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Coles County, IL declined at a rate of −1.75%, from 22.7k employees to 22.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Coles County, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,556 people), Management Occupations (2,044 people), and Production Occupations (1,881 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Coles County, IL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

22.3k

2024 Value

± 1,141

−1.75%

1 Year decline

± 7.41%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Coles County, IL declined at a rate of −1.75%, from 22.7k employees to 22.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Coles County, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,649 people), Educational Services (2,996 people), and Retail Trade (2,859 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Coles County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Coles County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,518

Median earning men ± $3,041

$32,914

Median earning women ± $2,383

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($82,143), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,230), and Wholesale Trade ($59,195).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($49,479), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,313), and Information ($42,031).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

Y-Axis

2.47%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Illinois. This represents a 2.47% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Illinois.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

86
Other Services (except Public Administration)
76
Construction
61
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$279k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$102k
Manufacturing
$90.7k
Management of Companies and Enterprises

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing the state of Illinois. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Illinois is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Coles County, IL. Showing the available data for Illinois.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (54.4%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (43.5%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.43%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Illinois for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Illinois

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

Dick Durbin

Senator from Illinois

Assumed office on January 3, 1997

Tammy Duckworth

Senator from Illinois

Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing Illinois.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Illinois over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Coles County, IL awarded 5,413 degrees. The student population of Coles County, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 5,355 male students and 7,148 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Coles County, IL are White (3,348 and 72.1%), Black or African American (661 and 14.2%), Hispanic or Latino (301 and 6.49%), and Unknown (167 and 3.6%).

The largest universities in Coles County, IL by number of degrees awarded are Lake Land College (2,954 and 54.6%) and Eastern Illinois University (2,459 and 45.4%).

The most popular majors in Coles County, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (798 and 14.7%), Industrial Technology (354 and 6.54%), and General Construction Trades (353 and 6.52%).

The median tuition cost in Coles County, IL for a public four year colleges is $9,624 for in-state students and $12,066 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Coles County, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 67.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 12,503 (42.8% men and 57.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 12,503 students enrolled in Coles County, IL, 42.8% men and 57.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 8,047 records, of which 60.7% were women and 39.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Construction Trades
249 degrees awarded
General Applied Horticulture Operations
222 degrees awarded
Building & Property Maintenance
150 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Coles County, IL was General Construction Trades with 249 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Coles County, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lake Land College
2,954 degrees awarded
Eastern Illinois University
2,459 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Land College with 2,954 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 2,941 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Coles County, IL, which is 1.19 times more than the 2,472 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,348 degrees mean that there were 5.07 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 661 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($9,624) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,500) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($360) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Coles County, IL was $127,400 in 2024, which is 0.383 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $121,900 to $127,400, a 4.51% increase. The homeownership rate in Coles County, IL is 60.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Coles County, IL have an average commute time of 18.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Coles County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Coles County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.06%.

Housing

Property

$127,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,333

$12,574

Median Property Taxes

±$746

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Coles County, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Coles County, IL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.4%

Homeownership

2024

61.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.4% of the housing units in Coles County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 60.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Coles County, IL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$56,478

Median Household Income

± $3,441

20.8k

Number of Households

± 1,070

In 2024, the median household income of the 20.8k households in Coles County, IL grew to $56,478 from the previous year's value of $56,040.

The following chart displays the households in Coles County, IL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Coles County, IL is from Illinois.

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.477

2022 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2023, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.474 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.554% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Illinois across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.2%)
Carpooled (9.22%)
Worked At Home (7.18%)

In 2024, 76.2% of workers in Coles County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.22%) and those who worked at home (7.18%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Coles County, IL have a shorter commute time (18.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.94% of the workforce in Coles County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Coles County, IL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Coles County, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Coles County, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Coles County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.06%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

18.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Coles County, IL (8.06k out of 43.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Coles County, IL is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 18.6% of the children was living in poverty in Coles County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.9%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 278 in Coles County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 5.06 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.9% of the population of Coles County, IL has health coverage, with 41% on employee plans, 22.9% on Medicaid, 14.1% on Medicare, 13.7% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Coles County, IL see 1,264 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,264 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1853 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 166 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,264 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Coles County, IL

Primary care physicians in Coles County, IL see an average of 1,264 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,264 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Coles County, IL in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.7% under 18 years, 27.4% between 18 and 34 years, 34.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.09%

Uninsured

41%

Employer Coverage

22.9%

Medicaid

14.1%

Medicare

13.7%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Coles County, IL grew by 11.8% from 6.34% to 7.09%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Coles County, IL changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 43.4 in Coles County, IL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Coles County, IL.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 38.5% in Coles County, IL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Coles County, IL.