Stephenson County, IL

County

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2024 Population

43,768

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

45.3

0.221% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.9%

6.11% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$64,043

3.39% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$134,900

5.8% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

20,552

1.11% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Stephenson 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.

98.6% of the residents in Stephenson County, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Stephenson County, IL are Highland Community College (649 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Stephenson County, IL was $134,900, and the homeownership rate was 70.9%.

Most people in Stephenson County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Stephenson County, IL was 2 cars per household.

Stephenson County, IL borders Carroll County, IL, Jo Daviess County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Winnebago County, IL, Green County, WI, and Lafayette County, WI.

United States Illinois Freeport, IL

Population & Diversity

Stephenson County, IL is home to a population of 43.8k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.57% of Stephenson County, IL residents were born outside of the country (1.13k people).

In 2024, there were 9.33 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.5k people) in Stephenson County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.1k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2024 Citizenship

98.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.6% of Stephenson County, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Stephenson County, IL was 98.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Stephenson County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
34.5k ± 241
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.7k ± 422
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.1k ± 420

5.61%

Hispanic Population

2.46k people

5.61% of the people in Stephenson County, IL are hispanic (2.46k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Stephenson 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

2.57%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.13k people

2.44%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.08k people

As of 2024, 2.57% of Stephenson County, IL residents (1.13k 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 Stephenson County, IL was 2.44%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
891 ± 157
Gulf War (1990s)
449 ± 168
Gulf War (2001-)
297 ± 110

Stephenson County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.98 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Stephenson County, IL employs 20.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Stephenson County, IL were Manufacturing (4,111 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,289 people), and Retail Trade (2,162 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($73,393), Construction ($60,313), and Finance & Insurance ($56,652).

Employment

Occupations

20.6k

2024 Value

± 990

1.11%

1 Year growth

± 6.68%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Stephenson County, IL grew at a rate of 1.11%, from 20.3k employees to 20.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Stephenson County, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,421 people), Production Occupations (2,420 people), and Management Occupations (2,384 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Stephenson 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

20.6k

2024 Value

± 990

1.11%

1 Year growth

± 6.68%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Stephenson County, IL grew at a rate of 1.11%, from 20.3k employees to 20.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Stephenson County, IL, are Manufacturing (4,111 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,289 people), and Retail Trade (2,162 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Stephenson County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Stephenson County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,238

Median earning men ± $2,681

$36,824

Median earning women ± $1,849

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($81,000), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,309), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($54,269), Wholesale Trade ($51,389), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,099).

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

84
Other Services (except Public Administration)
74
Construction
52
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

$221k
Construction
$209k
Manufacturing
$126k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, IL awarded 649 degrees. The student population of Stephenson County, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 513 male students and 856 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Stephenson County, IL are White (508 and 78.6%), Black or African American (40 and 6.19%), Hispanic or Latino (39 and 6.04%), and Two or More Races (23 and 3.56%).

The largest universities in Stephenson County, IL by number of degrees awarded are Highland Community College (649 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Stephenson County, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (178 and 27.4%), Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor (122 and 18.8%), and Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (87 and 13.4%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,369 students enrolled in Stephenson County, IL, 37.5% men and 62.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,010 records, of which 63.9% were women and 36.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor
122 degrees awarded
Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant
87 degrees awarded
Child Care Provider
3 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of less than 1 academic year recipients in Stephenson County, IL was Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor with 122 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of less than 1 academic year from schools in Stephenson County, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Highland Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

649 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Highland Community College with 649 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 291 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Stephenson County, IL, which is 0.813 times less than the 358 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 508 degrees mean that there were 12.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 40 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 ($5,904) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,072) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($670) 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 Stephenson County, IL was $134,900 in 2024, which is 0.405 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $127,500 to $134,900, a 5.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Stephenson County, IL is 70.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Stephenson County, IL have an average commute time of 20.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Stephenson County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Stephenson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.56%.

Housing

Property

$134,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,661

$13,726

Median Property Taxes

±$691

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

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

Rent vs Own

70.9%

Homeownership

2024

61.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.9% of the housing units in Stephenson County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Stephenson 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.

$64,043

Median Household Income

± $3,674

19.4k

Number of Households

± 927

In 2024, the median household income of the 19.4k households in Stephenson County, IL grew to $64,043 from the previous year's value of $61,943.

The following chart displays the households in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 (77.9%)
Worked At Home (10.3%)
Carpooled (7.73%)

In 2024, 77.9% of workers in Stephenson County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.3%) and those who carpooled to work (7.73%).

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

20.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Stephenson County, IL have a shorter commute time (20.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.3% of the workforce in Stephenson County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Stephenson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.56%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

13.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Stephenson County, IL (5.99k out of 43k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Stephenson 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, 17.5% of the children was living in poverty in Stephenson County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.1%.

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 128 in Stephenson County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 15.7 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.8% of the population of Stephenson County, IL has health coverage, with 42.5% on employee plans, 21.2% on Medicaid, 19.2% on Medicare, 10.8% on non-group plans, and 1.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Stephenson County, IL see 2,096 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,096 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1983 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 435 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,096 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Stephenson County, IL

Primary care physicians in Stephenson County, IL see an average of 2,096 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,096 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.5% under 18 years, 16.9% between 18 and 34 years, 36.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.2%

Uninsured

42.5%

Employer Coverage

21.2%

Medicaid

19.2%

Medicare

10.8%

Non-Group

1.1%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Stephenson County, IL declined by 0.664% from 5.23% to 5.2%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Stephenson 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 49 in Stephenson County, IL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Stephenson 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 42.1% in Stephenson County, IL.

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