Kankakee County, IL

County

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2024 Population

106,635

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

12.2%

2.76% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,281

4.33% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$192,600

3.72% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

50,150

0.362% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Kankakee 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.

97.1% of the residents in Kankakee County, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Kankakee County, IL are Olivet Nazarene University (1,004 degrees awarded in 2023) and Kankakee Community College (682 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Kankakee County, IL was $192,600, and the homeownership rate was 69.9%.

Most people in Kankakee County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Kankakee County, IL was 2 cars per household.

Kankakee County, IL borders Ford County, IL, Grundy County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Livingston County, IL, Will County, IL, Lake County, IN, and Newton County, IN.

United States Illinois Kankakee, IL

Population & Diversity

Kankakee County, IL is home to a population of 107k people, from which 97.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.74% of Kankakee County, IL residents were born outside of the country (6.12k people).

In 2024, there were 4.76 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (72.5k people) in Kankakee County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 15.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.81k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Kankakee County, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kankakee County, IL was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kankakee County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
72.5k ± 450
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
15.2k ± 542
White (Hispanic)
5.81k ± 801

12.7%

Hispanic Population

13.5k people

12.7% of the people in Kankakee County, IL are hispanic (13.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Kankakee 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

5.74%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

6.12k people

5.49%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.87k people

As of 2024, 5.74% of Kankakee County, IL residents (6.12k 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 Kankakee County, IL was 5.49%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,989 ± 278
Gulf War (2001-)
958 ± 261
Gulf War (1990s)
883 ± 247

Kankakee County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.08 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Kankakee County, IL employs 50.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kankakee County, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,297 people), Manufacturing (7,083 people), and Retail Trade (6,493 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($130,179), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($96,500), and Utilities ($90,500).

Employment

Occupations

50.2k

2024 Value

± 1,683

0.362%

1 Year growth

± 4.67%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kankakee County, IL grew at a rate of 0.362%, from 50k employees to 50.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kankakee County, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,971 people), Production Occupations (4,724 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,493 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kankakee 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

50.2k

2024 Value

± 1,683

0.362%

1 Year growth

± 4.67%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kankakee County, IL grew at a rate of 0.362%, from 50k employees to 50.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kankakee County, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,297 people), Manufacturing (7,083 people), and Retail Trade (6,493 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kankakee County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Kankakee County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,559

Median earning men ± $2,108

$37,442

Median earning women ± $1,624

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($89,375), Public Administration ($87,929), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($77,159).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($75,625), Public Administration ($61,250), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,438).

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

160
Other Services (except Public Administration)
143
Construction
137
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

$557k
Manufacturing
$384k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$175k
Retail 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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee County, IL awarded 1,686 degrees. The student population of Kankakee County, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,277 male students and 3,402 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Kankakee County, IL are White (1,232 and 73.6%), Hispanic or Latino (178 and 10.6%), Black or African American (121 and 7.22%), and Two or More Races (67 and 4%).

The largest universities in Kankakee County, IL by number of degrees awarded are Olivet Nazarene University (1,004 and 59.5%) and Kankakee Community College (682 and 40.5%).

The most popular majors in Kankakee County, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (160 and 9.49%), General Business Administration & Management (128 and 7.59%), and Registered Nursing (124 and 7.35%).

The median tuition cost in Kankakee County, IL for private four year colleges is $36,950.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Kankakee County, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 66.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 5,679 (40.1% men and 59.9% 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 5,679 students enrolled in Kankakee County, IL, 40.1% men and 59.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,394 records, of which 61.5% were women and 38.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
50 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
44 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
80 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Kankakee County, IL was General Psychology with 50 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Olivet Nazarene University
1,004 degrees awarded
Kankakee Community College
682 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Olivet Nazarene University with 1,004 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 700 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Kankakee County, IL, which is 0.71 times less than the 986 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 1,232 degrees mean that there were 6.92 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 178 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

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($36,950) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($990) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,800) 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 Kankakee County, IL was $192,600 in 2024, which is 0.579 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $185,700 to $192,600, a 3.72% increase. The homeownership rate in Kankakee County, IL is 69.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kankakee County, IL have an average commute time of 24.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kankakee County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kankakee County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

Housing

Property

$192,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,640

$28,641

Median Property Taxes

±$1,050

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

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

Rent vs Own

69.9%

Homeownership

2024

59.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.9% of the housing units in Kankakee County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kankakee 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.

$71,281

Median Household Income

± $2,921

41k

Number of Households

± 1,413

In 2024, the median household income of the 41k households in Kankakee County, IL grew to $71,281 from the previous year's value of $68,325.

The following chart displays the households in Kankakee 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 Kankakee 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 (78.3%)
Carpooled (8.31%)
Worked At Home (8.08%)

In 2024, 78.3% of workers in Kankakee County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.31%) and those who worked at home (8.08%).

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

24.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kankakee County, IL have a shorter commute time (24.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.46% of the workforce in Kankakee County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kankakee County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.06%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kankakee County, IL (12.5k out of 102k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kankakee County, IL is White, followed by Black 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, 15.8% of the children was living in poverty in Kankakee County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.1%.

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 318 in Kankakee County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 82.5 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 Kankakee County, IL has health coverage, with 49.6% on employee plans, 19.2% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 9.99% on non-group plans, and 0.956% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kankakee County, IL see 2,881 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,881 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2080 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 469 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,881 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Kankakee County, IL

Primary care physicians in Kankakee County, IL see an average of 2,881 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,881 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.3% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 37% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.66%

Uninsured

49.6%

Employer Coverage

19.2%

Medicaid

14.6%

Medicare

9.99%

Non-Group

0.956%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kankakee County, IL grew by 0.654% from 5.62% to 5.66%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Kankakee 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 53.1 in Kankakee County, IL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Kankakee 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 40.3% in Kankakee County, IL.

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