Kankakee, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

23,996

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.1

0.824% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

25.5%

8.21% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$47,514

5.31% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$104,900

Population & Diversity

Kankakee, IL is home to a population of 24k people, from which 92.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 13.4% of Kankakee, IL residents were born outside of the country (3.22k people).

In 2024, there were 1.27 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.56k people) in Kankakee, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.52k White (Non-Hispanic) and 3k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.5%

2024 Citizenship

92.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.5% of Kankakee, IL residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kankakee, IL was 92.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kankakee, IL

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.56k ± 668
White (Non-Hispanic)
7.52k ± 581
White (Hispanic)
3k ± 584

24.5%

Hispanic Population

5.88k people

24.5% of the people in Kankakee, IL are hispanic (5.88k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

13.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.22k people

13.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.2k people

As of 2024, 13.4% of Kankakee, IL residents (3.22k 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, IL was 13.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
293 ± 114
Gulf War (2001-)
227 ± 149
Gulf War (1990s)
191 ± 117

Kankakee, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.29 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Kankakee, IL employs 9.75k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kankakee, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,058 people), Manufacturing (1,625 people), and Retail Trade (1,085 people), and the highest paying industries were Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation ($56,215), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($53,750), and Manufacturing ($47,387).

Employment

Occupations

9.75k

2024 Value

± 750

−2.42%

1 Year decline

± 11.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kankakee, IL declined at a rate of −2.42%, from 9.99k employees to 9.75k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kankakee, IL, are Production Occupations (1,362 people), Material Moving Occupations (1,158 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (988 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kankakee, 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

9.75k

2024 Value

± 750

−2.42%

1 Year decline

± 11.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kankakee, IL declined at a rate of −2.42%, from 9.99k employees to 9.75k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kankakee, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,058 people), Manufacturing (1,625 people), and Retail Trade (1,085 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kankakee, IL, though some of these residents may live in Kankakee, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,704

Median earning men ± $2,526

$35,032

Median earning women ± $3,870

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($52,607), Manufacturing ($51,068), and Public Administration ($50,571).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($45,714), Information ($45,313), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($42,313).

Education

The student population of Kankakee, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,045 male students and 1,519 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Kankakee, IL are White (541 and 65%), Hispanic or Latino (135 and 16.2%), Black or African American (92 and 11.1%), and Two or More Races (51 and 6.13%).

The largest universities in Kankakee, IL by number of degrees awarded are Kankakee Community College (846 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Kankakee, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (141 and 16.7%), Industrial Electronics Technology (125 and 14.8%), and Welding Technology (75 and 8.87%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,564 students enrolled in Kankakee, IL, 40.8% men and 59.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,305 records, of which 60.1% were women and 39.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
113 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
44 degrees awarded
General Studies
35 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Kankakee, IL was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 113 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Kankakee Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

846 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Kankakee Community College with 846 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 431 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Kankakee, IL, which is 1.04 times more than the 415 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 541 degrees mean that there were 4.01 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 135 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 ($12,900) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($570) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,920) 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, IL was $104,900 in 2024, which is 0.315 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $105,500 to $104,900, a 0.569% decrease. The homeownership rate in Kankakee, IL is 50.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kankakee, IL have an average commute time of 22 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kankakee, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$104,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,473

$4,630

Median Property Taxes

±$469

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

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

Rent vs Own

50.8%

Homeownership

2024

62.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 50.8% of the housing units in Kankakee, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 49.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kankakee, 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.

$47,514

Median Household Income

± $3,599

9.12k

Number of Households

± 699

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.12k households in Kankakee, IL grew to $47,514 from the previous year's value of $45,119.

The following chart displays the households in Kankakee, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Kankakee, 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 (75.1%)
Carpooled (12.9%)
Worked At Home (4.66%)

In 2024, 75.1% of workers in Kankakee, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.9%) and those who worked at home (4.66%).

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

22 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kankakee, IL have a shorter commute time (22 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.55% of the workforce in Kankakee, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

25.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kankakee, IL (5.91k out of 23.2k 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 Males 6 - 11 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kankakee, IL is Black, followed by White 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.

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.

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