Ford County, IL

County

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2024 Population

13,406

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.9

1.41% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12.4%

1.83% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$62,439

2.73% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$122,000

3.3% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,281

1.77% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ford 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.

98.1% of the residents in Ford County, IL are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Ford County, IL was $122,000, and the homeownership rate was 72.3%.

Most people in Ford County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Ford County, IL was 2 cars per household.

Ford County, IL borders Champaign County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Kankakee County, IL, Livingston County, IL, McLean County, IL, and Vermilion County, IL.

United States Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL

Population & Diversity

Ford County, IL is home to a population of 13.4k people, from which 98.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.65% of Ford County, IL residents were born outside of the country (355 people).

In 2024, there were 30 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (12k people) in Ford County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 399 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 329 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of Ford County, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ford County, IL was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ford County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
12k ± 144
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
399 ± 55
Other (Hispanic)
329 ± 147

5.27%

Hispanic Population

707 people

5.27% of the people in Ford County, IL are hispanic (707 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ford 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

2.65%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

355 people

2.55%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

341 people

As of 2024, 2.65% of Ford County, IL residents (355 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 Ford County, IL was 2.55%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
267 ± 119
Vietnam
217 ± 72
Gulf War (1990s)
106 ± 54

Ford County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.23 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Ford County, IL employs 6.28k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ford County, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,085 people), Retail Trade (796 people), and Manufacturing (622 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($80,078), Utilities ($76,742), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($76,287).

Employment

Occupations

6.28k

2024 Value

± 446

1.77%

1 Year growth

± 9.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ford County, IL grew at a rate of 1.77%, from 6.17k employees to 6.28k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ford County, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (768 people), Sales & Related Occupations (716 people), and Management Occupations (523 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ford 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

6.28k

2024 Value

± 446

1.77%

1 Year growth

± 9.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ford County, IL grew at a rate of 1.77%, from 6.17k employees to 6.28k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ford County, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,085 people), Retail Trade (796 people), and Manufacturing (622 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ford County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Ford County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,550

Median earning men ± $4,319

$39,682

Median earning women ± $3,169

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,083), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($81,442), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($75,549), Public Administration ($62,500), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,935).

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

33
Other Services (except Public Administration)
23
Construction
22
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

$78k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$44.3k
Manufacturing
$15.2k
Wholesale Trade

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 Ford 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ford County, IL was $122,000 in 2024, which is 0.367 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $118,100 to $122,000, a 3.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Ford County, IL is 72.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ford County, IL have an average commute time of 24.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ford County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ford County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.26%.

Housing

Property

$122,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,410

$4,213

Median Property Taxes

±$353

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 Ford County, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

72.3%

Homeownership

2024

63%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.3% of the housing units in Ford County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 74.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ford 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.

$62,439

Median Household Income

± $5,373

5.83k

Number of Households

± 438

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.83k households in Ford County, IL grew to $62,439 from the previous year's value of $60,782.

The following chart displays the households in Ford 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 Ford 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 (79.5%)
Worked At Home (9.2%)
Carpooled (8.45%)

In 2024, 79.5% of workers in Ford County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.45%).

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

24.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ford County, IL have a shorter commute time (24.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.22% of the workforce in Ford County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ford 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 Ford County, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ford County, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ford County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.26%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ford County, IL (1.59k out of 12.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 45 - 54 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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, 14.7% of the children was living in poverty in Ford County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.4%.

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 252 in Ford County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 133 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.3% of the population of Ford County, IL has health coverage, with 46.7% on employee plans, 21.5% on Medicaid, 13.3% on Medicare, 12.3% on non-group plans, and 0.385% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ford County, IL see 1,930 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,930 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2650 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 189 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,930 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ford County, IL

Primary care physicians in Ford County, IL see an average of 1,930 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,930 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.4% under 18 years, 17.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.75%

Uninsured

46.7%

Employer Coverage

21.5%

Medicaid

13.3%

Medicare

12.3%

Non-Group

0.385%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ford County, IL grew by 1.92% from 5.64% to 5.75%.

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