Waukegan, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

89,076

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.5

2.6% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

15.3%

0.285% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,919

1.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$190,900

Population & Diversity

Waukegan, IL is home to a population of 89.1k people, from which 80.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 30.7% of Waukegan, IL residents were born outside of the country (27.3k people).

In 2024, there were 1 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (18.8k people) in Waukegan, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 18.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 14.9k White (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

80.6%

2024 Citizenship

80.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 80.6% of Waukegan, IL residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Waukegan, IL was 80.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Waukegan, IL

Other (Hispanic)
18.8k ± 1.96k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
18.7k ± 2.2k
White (Non-Hispanic)
14.9k ± 1.2k

57.9%

Hispanic Population

51.6k people

57.9% of the people in Waukegan, IL are hispanic (51.6k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Waukegan, 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

30.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

27.3k people

30.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

27.5k people

As of 2024, 30.7% of Waukegan, IL residents (27.3k 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 Waukegan, IL was 30.9%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
739 ± 222
Gulf War (1990s)
639 ± 304
Gulf War (2001-)
615 ± 216

Waukegan, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.16 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Waukegan, IL employs 45.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Waukegan, IL were Manufacturing (9,013 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,927 people), and Retail Trade (5,372 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($141,932), Public Administration ($79,943), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($62,750).

Employment

Occupations

45.2k

2024 Value

± 2,075

1.09%

1 Year growth

± 6.32%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waukegan, IL grew at a rate of 1.09%, from 44.7k employees to 45.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Waukegan, IL, are Production Occupations (5,726 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,469 people), and Material Moving Occupations (3,926 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Waukegan, 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

45.2k

2024 Value

± 2,075

1.09%

1 Year growth

± 6.32%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waukegan, IL grew at a rate of 1.09%, from 44.7k employees to 45.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Waukegan, IL, are Manufacturing (9,013 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,927 people), and Retail Trade (5,372 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Waukegan, IL, though some of these residents may live in Waukegan, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,669

Median earning men ± $2,903

$37,150

Median earning women ± $1,798

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($77,585), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($73,237), and Information ($63,713).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,168), Wholesale Trade ($53,646), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($48,713).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Waukegan, IL was $190,900 in 2024, which is 0.574 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $177,600 to $190,900, a 7.49% increase. The homeownership rate in Waukegan, IL is 50.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Waukegan, IL have an average commute time of 26.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Waukegan, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$190,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,356

$16,090

Median Property Taxes

±$972

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

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

Rent vs Own

50.2%

Homeownership

2024

64.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 50.2% of the housing units in Waukegan, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 50.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Waukegan, 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.

$71,919

Median Household Income

± $3,861

32k

Number of Households

± 1,650

In 2024, the median household income of the 32k households in Waukegan, IL grew to $71,919 from the previous year's value of $70,578.

The following chart displays the households in Waukegan, 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 Waukegan, 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 (70.1%)
Carpooled (16.1%)
Worked At Home (7.65%)

In 2024, 70.1% of workers in Waukegan, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16.1%) and those who worked at home (7.65%).

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

26.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Waukegan, IL have a shorter commute time (26.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.68% of the workforce in Waukegan, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Waukegan, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Waukegan, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Waukegan, IL (13.4k out of 87.6k 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 Males 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

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

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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