Jefferson County, IL

County

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Jefferson County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
30.6k ± 233
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.14k ± 241
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.62k ± 238

2.82%

Hispanic Population

1.03k people

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.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
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.

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
769 ± 116
Gulf War (2001-)
497 ± 117
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.

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.

Location of Health Services Facilities

Health Service Type

Top 5 Health Facilities Servicing the Greatest Number of Addresses

Health Practice Name
12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4001
Health Practice Name
12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4002
Health Practice Name
12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4003
Health Practice Name
12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4004
Health Practice Name
12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4005

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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

87
Other Services (except Public Administration)
49
Retail Trade
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.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$377k
Manufacturing
$181k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$75.1k
Retail Trade

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

Education

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.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
161 degrees awarded
Biological & Physical Sciences
108 degrees awarded
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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (82.3%)
Carpooled (9.88%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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 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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