Whiteside County, IL

County

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2024 Population

54,947

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.922% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12%

0.756% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$67,500

4.59% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$127,100

1.03% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

26,161

0.868% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Whiteside 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 Whiteside County, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Whiteside County, IL are Morrison Institute of Technology (29 degrees awarded in 2023) and Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling (12 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Whiteside County, IL was $127,100, and the homeownership rate was 76.9%.

Most people in Whiteside County, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Whiteside County, IL was 2 cars per household.

Whiteside County, IL borders Bureau County, IL, Carroll County, IL, Henry County, IL, Lee County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Rock Island County, IL, and Clinton County, IA.

United States Illinois Sterling, IL

Population & Diversity

Whiteside County, IL is home to a population of 54.9k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 3% of Whiteside County, IL residents were born outside of the country (1.65k people).

In 2024, there were 16.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (44.5k people) in Whiteside County, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.67k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 2.32k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

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

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Whiteside County, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
44.5k ± 333
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.67k ± 471
White (Hispanic)
2.32k ± 506

13.3%

Hispanic Population

7.32k people

13.3% of the people in Whiteside County, IL are hispanic (7.32k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Whiteside 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

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.65k people

2.77%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.53k people

As of 2024, 3% of Whiteside County, IL residents (1.65k 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 Whiteside County, IL was 2.77%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,283 ± 189
Gulf War (1990s)
450 ± 148
Gulf War (2001-)
436 ± 149

Whiteside County, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.85 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Whiteside County, IL employs 26.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Whiteside County, IL were Manufacturing (5,398 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,153 people), and Retail Trade (3,201 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($107,868), Finance & Insurance ($61,058), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,664).

Employment

Occupations

26.2k

2024 Value

± 1,081

−0.868%

1 Year decline

± 5.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Whiteside County, IL declined at a rate of −0.868%, from 26.4k employees to 26.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Whiteside County, IL, are Production Occupations (3,316 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,750 people), and Management Occupations (2,166 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Whiteside 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

26.2k

2024 Value

± 1,081

−0.868%

1 Year decline

± 5.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Whiteside County, IL declined at a rate of −0.868%, from 26.4k employees to 26.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Whiteside County, IL, are Manufacturing (5,398 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,153 people), and Retail Trade (3,201 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Whiteside County, IL, though some of these residents may live in Whiteside County, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,110

Median earning men ± $2,426

$35,396

Median earning women ± $1,808

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($73,824), Public Administration ($71,250), and Manufacturing ($60,148).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($81,250), Public Administration ($49,960), and Construction ($49,271).

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

94
Other Services (except Public Administration)
81
Construction
60
Finance and Insurance

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

$242k
Manufacturing
$139k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$82.3k
Transportation and Warehousing

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 Whiteside 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 Whiteside County, IL awarded 41 degrees. The student population of Whiteside County, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 51 male students and 60 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Whiteside County, IL are White (32 and 78%), Hispanic or Latino (7 and 17.1%), Unknown (1 and 2.44%), and Black or African American (1 and 2.44%).

The largest universities in Whiteside County, IL by number of degrees awarded are Morrison Institute of Technology (29 and 70.7%) and Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling (12 and 29.3%).

The most popular majors in Whiteside County, IL are General Engineering Technology (18 and 43.9%), General Cosmetology (12 and 29.3%), and System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management (11 and 26.8%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 111 students enrolled in Whiteside County, IL, 45.9% men and 54.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 89 records, of which 53.9% were women and 46.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Engineering Technology
18 degrees awarded
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management
11 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Whiteside County, IL was General Engineering Technology with 18 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Morrison Institute of Technology
29 degrees awarded
Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling
12 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Morrison Institute of Technology with 29 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 26 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Whiteside County, IL, which is 1.73 times more than the 15 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 32 degrees mean that there were 4.57 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 7 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

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($18,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($1,900) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($1,000) 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 Whiteside County, IL was $127,100 in 2024, which is 0.382 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $125,800 to $127,100, a 1.03% increase. The homeownership rate in Whiteside County, IL is 76.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Whiteside County, IL have an average commute time of 20.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Whiteside County, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Whiteside County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.0333%.

Housing

Property

$127,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,398

$17,786

Median Property Taxes

±$816

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

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

Rent vs Own

76.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.9% of the housing units in Whiteside County, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Whiteside 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.

$67,500

Median Household Income

± $2,936

23.1k

Number of Households

± 951

In 2024, the median household income of the 23.1k households in Whiteside County, IL grew to $67,500 from the previous year's value of $64,536.

The following chart displays the households in Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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 (80.8%)
Carpooled (8.62%)
Worked At Home (6.1%)

In 2024, 80.8% of workers in Whiteside County, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.62%) and those who worked at home (6.1%).

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

20.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Whiteside County, IL have a shorter commute time (20.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.88% of the workforce in Whiteside County, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Whiteside County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.0333%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Whiteside County, IL (6.45k out of 53.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Whiteside County, IL is White, followed by Hispanic 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, 15.7% of the children was living in poverty in Whiteside County, IL. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.1%.

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 191 in Whiteside County, IL. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 18.9 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95% of the population of Whiteside County, IL has health coverage, with 49.3% on employee plans, 15.4% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 11.1% on non-group plans, and 1.63% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Whiteside County, IL see 1,975 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,975 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2376 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 649 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,975 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Whiteside County, IL

Primary care physicians in Whiteside County, IL see an average of 1,975 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,975 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.5% under 18 years, 17.7% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.03%

Uninsured

49.3%

Employer Coverage

15.4%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

11.1%

Non-Group

1.63%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Whiteside County, IL declined by 8.9% from 5.52% to 5.03%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Whiteside 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 60.7 in Whiteside County, IL.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Whiteside 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 35.3% in Whiteside County, IL.

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