Watseka, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

4,780

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

47.7

2.8% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

23.4%

8.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$43,608

1.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$103,700

Population & Diversity

Watseka, IL is home to a population of 4.78k people, from which 97.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.31% of Watseka, IL residents were born outside of the country (158 people).

In 2024, there were 15.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.03k people) in Watseka, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 267 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 189 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Watseka, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Watseka, IL was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Watseka, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.03k ± 395
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
267 ± 157
Other (Hispanic)
189 ± 175

6.65%

Hispanic Population

318 people

6.65% of the people in Watseka, IL are hispanic (318 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Watseka, 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

3.31%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

158 people

3.56%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

165 people

As of 2024, 3.31% of Watseka, IL residents (158 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 Watseka, IL was 3.56%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
79 ± 46
Korea
56 ± 31
Gulf War (2001-)
50 ± 56

Watseka, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.41 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Watseka, IL employs 1.97k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Watseka, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (411 people), Retail Trade (372 people), and Manufacturing (207 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($81,688), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($81,688), and Construction ($61,429).

Employment

Occupations

1.97k

2024 Value

± 316

2.66%

1 Year growth

± 22.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watseka, IL grew at a rate of 2.66%, from 1.92k employees to 1.97k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watseka, IL, are Production Occupations (253 people), Material Moving Occupations (246 people), and Management Occupations (203 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Watseka, 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

1.97k

2024 Value

± 316

2.66%

1 Year growth

± 22.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watseka, IL grew at a rate of 2.66%, from 1.92k employees to 1.97k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watseka, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (411 people), Retail Trade (372 people), and Manufacturing (207 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Watseka, IL, though some of these residents may live in Watseka, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,146

Median earning men ± $12,246

$31,673

Median earning women ± $3,238

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($81,688), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($61,964), and Construction ($61,429).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($48,523), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($35,938), and Retail Trade ($33,636).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Watseka, IL was $103,700 in 2024, which is 0.312 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $104,400 to $103,700, a 0.67% decrease. The homeownership rate in Watseka, IL is 64.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Watseka, IL have an average commute time of 18.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Watseka, IL is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$103,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,358

$1,476

Median Property Taxes

±$252

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

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

Rent vs Own

64.8%

Homeownership

2024

55.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 64.8% of the housing units in Watseka, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Watseka, 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.

$43,608

Median Household Income

± $4,318

2.28k

Number of Households

± 328

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.28k households in Watseka, IL grew to $43,608 from the previous year's value of $42,794.

The following chart displays the households in Watseka, 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 Watseka, 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 (81.5%)
Carpooled (10.2%)
Worked At Home (4.88%)

In 2024, 81.5% of workers in Watseka, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.2%) and those who worked at home (4.88%).

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

18.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watseka, IL have a shorter commute time (18.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.78% of the workforce in Watseka, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Watseka, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Watseka, IL have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

23.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watseka, IL (1.08k out of 4.61k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Watseka, IL is White, followed by Two Or More 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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