Champaign County, Illinois Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Champaign County, Illinois, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Champaign County, Illinois. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Champaign County, Illinois. The estimated population of Champaign County, Illinois is 206,583 people, with a median age of 30.6.

We can look at the total population in Champaign County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
206,583
 -1.63% -0.66%
2020
210,006
+0.04%
-
2019
209,922
+0.23%
-
2018
209,448
+0.72%
-
2017
207,946
 - -

Population of Champaign County, Illinois by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
66%
68.3%
 -3.37%
Black/African American
12.9%
13%
 -0.77%
Native
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Hispanic
6.3%
5.7%
 +10.53%
Asian
10.7%
10.3%
 +3.88%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
3.7%
2.4%
 +54.17%
Other
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Champaign County, Illinois by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 30.6 +0.66% 29.2 +1.04% 32.1 +0.31%
2020 30.4 +1% 28.9 +0.35% 32 +0.95%
2019 30.1 +0.67% 28.8 +1.05% 31.7 +0.96%
2018 29.9 +0.67% 28.5 +0.35% 31.4 +0.96%
2017 29.7 - 28.4 - 31.1 -

The median age of Champaign County, Illinois gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 11,403 -2.8% 10,993 -6.07% 11,076 10,329
10 to 19 15,916 +5.05% 15,267 +4.32% 16,730 15,899
20 to 29 27,195 -8.57% 24,116 -6.17% 24,925 22,652
30 to 39 13,347 +2.28% 13,004 +2.47% 13,645 13,322
40 to 49 9,751 +1.48% 10,113 +0.36% 9,887 10,144
50 to 59 10,441 -2.41% 11,384 -9.21% 10,189 10,367
60 to 69 9,068 +2.6% 9,742 +8.69% 9,297 10,600
70+ 6,722 +11.86% 9,484 +5.16% 7,544 9,977

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Champaign County, Illinois is $56,939.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Champaign County.

  • Under 25
    $16,355.00
  • 25 to 44
    $59,500.00
  • 45 to 64
    $83,888.00
  • 65 and over
    $59,329.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Champaign County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Champaign County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Champaign County, Illinois is currently $80,535.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

6.86% of households in Champaign County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Champaign County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    23.93%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.85%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    15.93%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.30%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.65%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.48%
  • $200,000 or more
    6.86%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Champaign County is $32,971.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Champaign County by the total population of Champaign County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Champaign County, Illinois, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Champaign County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    24.79%
  • Bachelor's degree
    33.24%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.14%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    29.32%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.51%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Champaign County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Champaign County over the age of 16 is 171,497.

Of those people, a total of 61.70% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Champaign County is 58.50%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 18,948 26.80% 12.10%
20 to 24 years 32,183 58.10% 8.80%
25 to 29 years 15,394 83.70% 6.10%
30 to 34 years 13,452 85.50% 5.40%
35 to 44 years 23,339 87.00% 3.20%
45 to 54 years 19,946 85.20% 2.80%
55 to 59 years 10,817 77.60% 2.30%
60 to 64 years 10,794 57.60% 3.20%
65 to 74 years 16,125 29.10% 3.40%
75 years and over 10,499 9.10% 1.70%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Champaign County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 123,326 61.90% 4.00%
Black or African American 20,189 64.70% 12.60%
American Indian and Alaska Native 170 68.80% 0.00%
Asian 19,514 54.10% 3.30%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 115 64.30% 27.00%
Other 1,744 72.10% 1.80%
Two or more races 6,439 67.80% 7.00%
Hispanic or Latino 9,147 64.10% 6.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 117,864 61.80% 3.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Champaign County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Champaign County is 100,324, with median earnings of $37,206.00.

Women in Champaign County, Illinois earning approximately 77.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 100,324 $37,206.00
Male 51,917 $42,309.00
Female 48,407 $32,880.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 9,423 $67,998.00
Business and Financial 4,307 $54,696.00
Computer and Mathematical 3,353 $59,137.00
Architecture and Engineering 1,828 $66,122.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 3,179 $38,271.00
Community and Social Service 2,149 $52,191.00
Legal 895 $98,472.00
Educational and Library 14,560 $40,364.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2,280 $27,500.00
Healthcare Practitioners 6,524 $58,802.00
Healthcare Support 2,681 $25,006.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 986 $19,519.00
Law Enforcement 482 $63,654.00
Food Preparation and Serving 6,707 $10,655.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 3,153 $25,808.00
Personal Care and Service 2,766 $19,900.00
Sales 7,854 $21,855.00
Office and Administrative Support 10,534 $33,289.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 272 $32,500.00
Construction and Extraction 3,102 $58,087.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 2,237 $43,491.00
Production 4,015 $40,585.00
Transportation and Material Moving 3,216 $34,412.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 5,637 $75,462.00 3,786 $60,879.00
Business and Financial 1,909 $55,568.00 2,398 $54,259.00
Computer and Mathematical 2,480 $65,000.00 873 $49,743.00
Architecture and Engineering 1,386 $68,200.00 442 $57,682.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 2,050 $45,528.00 1,129 $31,118.00
Community and Social Service 681 $55,875.00 1,468 $52,050.00
Legal 615 $113,882.00 280 $65,526.00
Educational and Library 7,045 $36,425.00 7,515 $41,427.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 1,000 $37,308.00 1,280 $25,156.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,841 $77,399.00 4,683 $52,142.00
Healthcare Support 418 $28,404.00 2,263 $24,562.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 823 $20,638.00 163 $6,250.00
Law Enforcement 290 $72,045.00 192 $44,808.00
Food Preparation and Serving 2,635 $11,899.00 4,072 $9,957.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 2,200 $28,688.00 953 $19,983.00
Personal Care and Service 648 $16,875.00 2,118 $20,051.00
Sales 3,671 $32,768.00 4,183 $17,507.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,853 $34,356.00 7,681 $32,797.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 195 $47,159.00 77 $2,499.00
Construction and Extraction 2,877 $57,691.00 225 $82,823.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 2,167 $43,857.00 70 $32,308.00
Production 2,916 $43,503.00 1,099 $30,156.00
Transportation and Material Moving 2,658 $32,465.00 558 $40,395.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 81,835 households in Champaign County, with an average household size of 2.34 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 42,621 families in Champaign County with an average family size of 3.07 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 31,973 2,727 7,921 39,214
Average Household Size 3.04 3.44 3.41 1.48
Total Families 31,973 2,727 7,921 0
Average Household Size 3.02 3.13 3.23 0

Poverty

Of the 42,621 families in Champaign County, 8.20% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Champaign County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 92,663 housing units in Champaign County, Illinois.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 81,835 88.31%
Vacant 10,828 11.69%

40.20% of the total 92,663 housing units in Champaign County are rental units. This is approximately 37,253 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 43,685 are occupied by the owner - or 47.14% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Champaign County is $905.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Champaign County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    897
  • Less than $500
    2,171
  • $500 to $999
    20,564
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    10,580
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    2,619
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    549
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    318
  • $3,000 or more
    452

Property Value

The median value of a property in Champaign County is $170,600.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Champaign County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    3,019
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    5,717
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    9,182
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8,973
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    9,895
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    5,753
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    978
  • $1,000,000 or more
    168

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Champaign County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Champaign County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    9,823
  • 1940 to 1949
    3,007
  • 1950 to 1959
    9,408
  • 1960 to 1969
    10,803
  • 1970 to 1979
    12,896
  • 1980 to 1989
    10,964
  • 1990 to 1999
    11,559
  • 2000 to 2009
    13,597
  • 2010 to 2013
    10,360
  • 2014 or later
    246

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Champaign County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    9,428
  • 1 vehicle available
    31,505
  • 2 vehicles available
    28,543
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    12,359

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Champaign County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Champaign County that commute to work in a particular way.

17.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Champaign County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    2,805
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    12,508
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    20,741
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    22,984
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    13,467
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    5,231
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    6,071
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    729
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    1,036
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,927
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    1,304
  • 90 or more minutes
    832

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Champaign County, Illinois in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Champaign County, Illinois

We have data for 45 places in Champaign County, Illinois. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.