Waukegan, IL

Census Place

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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
7.49% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
45,192
1.09% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Waukegan, 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.

80.6% of the residents in Waukegan, IL are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Waukegan, IL was $190,900, and the homeownership rate was 50.2%.

Most people in Waukegan, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Waukegan, IL was 2 cars per household.

United StatesIllinoisLake County, ILChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WILake County (Northeast)--Waukegan, Zion, Benton & Newport Townships PUMA, ILLake County (East Central)--Warren, Shields & Libertyville (North & West) Townships PUMA, IL

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Waukegan, IL
  1. Other (Hispanic)
    18.8k ± 1.96k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    18.7k ± 2.2k
  3. White (Non-Hispanic)
    14.9k ± 1.2k
57.9%
Hispanic Population
51.6k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Illinois.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    633,244 ± 19,044 people
  2. India
    161,770 ± 9,812 people
  3. 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.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    739 ± 222
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    639 ± 304
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Waukegan, IL. Showing the available data for Illinois.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (54.4%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (43.5%)
    Republican Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Illinois

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
Dick Durbin
Senator from Illinois2
Assumed office on January 3, 1997
Tammy Duckworth
Senator from Illinois3
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Waukegan, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (70.1%)
  2. Carpooled (16.1%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

84% of the population of Waukegan, IL has health coverage, with 42.3% on employee plans, 23.1% on Medicaid, 9.07% on Medicare, 8.97% on non-group plans, and 0.57% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Illinois see 1,264 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,264 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1189 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 297 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.7% under 18 years, 24.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 11.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

16%
Uninsured
42.3%
Employer Coverage
23.1%
Medicaid
9.07%
Medicare
8.97%
Non-Group
0.57%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Waukegan, IL grew by 3.25% from 15.5% to 16%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Waukegan, IL changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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