Jefferson County, IL

County

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    2024 Population
    36,550
    US Senator
    Dick Durbin
    Democratic Party
    US Senator
    Tammy Duckworth
    Democratic Party
    2024 Median Age
    41.2
    0.243% 1-year increase
    2024 Poverty Rate
    13.5%
    4.45% 1-year decrease
    2024 Median Household Income
    $63,118
    3.3% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $126,000
    6.42% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    16,340
    1.47% 1-year growth

    About

    None of the households in Jefferson 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.

    99.2% of the residents in Jefferson County, IL are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Jefferson County, IL are Rend Lake College (1,214 degrees awarded in 2024).

    In 2024, the median property value in Jefferson County, IL was $126,000, and the homeownership rate was 71.7%.

    Most people in Jefferson County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Jefferson County, IL was 2 cars per household.

    United StatesIllinoisMount Vernon, IL

    Population & Diversity

    Jefferson County, IL is home to a population of 36.6k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.85% of Jefferson County, IL residents were born outside of the country (677 people).

    In 2024, there were 14.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.6k people) in Jefferson County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.14k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.62k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    99.2%
    2024 Citizenship
    99.3%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 99.2% of Jefferson County, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Jefferson County, IL was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Jefferson County, IL
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      30.6k ± 233
    2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
      2.14k ± 241
    3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
      1.62k ± 238
    2.82%
    Hispanic Population
    1.03k people

    In 2024, there were 14.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.6k people) in Jefferson County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.14k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.62k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    2.82% of the people in Jefferson County, IL are hispanic (1.03k people).

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

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Illinois.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      637,284 ± 19,101 people
    2. India
      166,788 ± 9,961 people
    3. Poland
      117,148 ± 8,364 people

    In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    1.85%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    677 people
    1.76%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    648 people

    As of 2024, 1.85% of Jefferson County, IL residents (677 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 Jefferson County, IL was 1.76%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      769 ± 116
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      497 ± 117
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      315 ± 91

    Jefferson County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.55 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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    Health

    92.8% of the population of Jefferson County, IL has health coverage, with 41.9% on employee plans, 21.3% on Medicaid, 15.1% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.67% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, IL see 2,049 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,049 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1733 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 313 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

    Coverage

    Patient to Clinician Ratios

    2,049 to 1
    Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Jefferson County, IL

    Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, IL see an average of 2,049 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,049 patients).

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

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    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.3% under 18 years, 18.1% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.9% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

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    Uninsured People

    7.21%
    Uninsured
    41.9%
    Employer Coverage
    21.3%
    Medicaid
    15.1%
    Medicare
    12.8%
    Non-Group
    1.67%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Jefferson County, IL declined by 4.32% from 7.54% to 7.21%.

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

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    Health Indicators

    Health Outcomes

    Indicator

    In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 5.6 in Jefferson County, IL.

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

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    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 38.8% in Jefferson County, IL.

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

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    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 5.99% in Jefferson County, IL.

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

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    Economy

    The economy of Jefferson County, IL employs 16.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Jefferson County, IL were Manufacturing (2,949 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,600 people), and Retail Trade (2,085 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($80,625), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($68,125), and Public Administration ($60,417).

    Employment

    Occupations

    16.3k
    2024 Value
    ± 680
    1.47%
    1 Year growth
    ± 5.76%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson County, IL grew at a rate of 1.47%, from 16.1k employees to 16.3k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Jefferson County, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,802 people), Production Occupations (1,707 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,369 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Jefferson County, IL.

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    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.

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    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    16.3k
    2024 Value
    ± 680
    1.47%
    1 Year growth
    ± 5.76%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson County, IL grew at a rate of 1.47%, from 16.1k employees to 16.3k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Jefferson County, IL, are Manufacturing (2,949 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,600 people), and Retail Trade (2,085 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Jefferson County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Jefferson County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $50,537
    Median earning men ± $2,166
    $34,116
    Median earning women ± $1,729

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($69,583), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,605), and Manufacturing ($57,986).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($73,182), Information ($60,833), and Wholesale Trade ($56,111).

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    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.

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    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 87
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    2. 49
      Retail Trade
    3. 49
      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.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $377k
      Manufacturing
    2. $181k
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    3. $75.1k
      Retail Trade

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

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    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

    Voting results are not available for Jefferson County, IL. Showing the available data for Illinois.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Kamala Harris (54.4%)
      Democratic Party
    2. Donald J. Trump (43.5%)
      Republican Party
    3. 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.

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    Senator Elections

    US Senators from Illinois

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
    Dick Durbin
    Senator from Illinois2
    Assumed office on January 3, 1997
    Tammy Duckworth
    Senator from Illinois3
    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.

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    Education

    In 2024, universities in Jefferson County, IL awarded 1,214 degrees. The student population of Jefferson County, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 909 male students and 1,106 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Jefferson County, IL are White (1,085 and 89.4%), Black or African American (45 and 3.71%), Two or More Races (36 and 2.97%), and Hispanic or Latino (23 and 1.89%).

    The largest universities in Jefferson County, IL by number of degrees awarded are Rend Lake College (1,214 and 100%).

    The most popular majors in Jefferson County, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (314 and 25.9%), Biological & Physical Sciences (108 and 8.9%), and Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (99 and 8.15%).

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    In 2024 there were 2,015 students enrolled in Jefferson County, IL, 45.1% men and 54.9% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,662 records, of which 55.5% were women and 44.5% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
      161 degrees awarded
    2. Biological & Physical Sciences
      108 degrees awarded
    3. Registered Nursing
      49 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Jefferson County, IL was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 161 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Jefferson County, IL according to their major.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Rend Lake College
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1,214 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Rend Lake College with 1,214 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    In 2024, 599 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Jefferson County, IL, which is 0.974 times less than the 615 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,085 degrees mean that there were 24.1 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 45 degrees awarded.

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    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.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Public, 2-year ($6,600) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Public, 2-year ($1,200) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Public, 2-year ($400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Jefferson County, IL was $126,000 in 2024, which is 0.379 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $118,400 to $126,000, a 6.42% increase. The homeownership rate in Jefferson County, IL is 71.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Jefferson County, IL have an average commute time of 19.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Jefferson County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    In 2025, 12.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.228%.

    Housing

    Property

    $126,000
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$6,496
    $10,623
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$494

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

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

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    Rent vs Own

    71.7%
    Homeownership
    2024
    63.2%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 71.7% of the housing units in Jefferson County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.9%.

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

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $63,118
    Median Household Income
    ± $2,847
    14.8k
    Number of Households
    ± 637

    In 2024, the median household income of the 14.8k households in Jefferson County, IL grew to $63,118 from the previous year's value of $61,102.

    The following chart displays the households in Jefferson 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.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Jefferson County, IL is from Illinois.
    0.471
    2024 Wage GINI in Illinois
    0.474
    2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

    In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (82.3%)
    2. Carpooled (9.88%)
    3. Worked At Home (5.43%)

    In 2024, 82.3% of workers in Jefferson County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.88%) and those who worked at home (5.43%).

    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.

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    Commute Time

    19.6 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Jefferson County, IL have a shorter commute time (19.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.23% of the workforce in Jefferson County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

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

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    Poverty

    Severe Housing Problems

    In 2025, 12.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.228%.

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

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    Poverty & Diversity

    13.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Jefferson County, IL (4.73k out of 34.9k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

    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.

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    Children in Poverty

    In 2025, 21.1% of the children was living in poverty in Jefferson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.5%.

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

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    Security

    Crimes & Accidents

    Indicator

    In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 603 in Jefferson County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 46.2% per 100,000 population.

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

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