Empire, McLean County, Illinois Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Empire, 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 Empire, Illinois. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Empire, Illinois. The estimated population of Empire, Illinois is 3,991 people, with a median age of 42.7.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
3,991
-1.68% -2.63%
2020
4,059
-0.64% -
2019
4,085
-0.24% -
2018
4,095
-0.1% -
2017
4,099
- -

Population of Empire, 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
98.7%
98.9%
-0.20%
Black/African American
0%
0.3%
-100.00%
Native
0%
0%
0.00%
Hispanic
0%
0.4%
-100.00%
Asian
0%
0%
0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.3%
0.3%
+333.33%
Other
0%
0.1%
-100.00%

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 Empire, 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 42.7 -0.7% 42.2 +1.69% 42.8 -2.51%
2020 43 -1.15% 41.5 -1.19% 43.9 -3.3%
2019 43.5 +2.84% 42 +6.87% 45.4 +4.13%
2018 42.3 +1.93% 39.3 +4.8% 43.6 +1.16%
2017 41.5 - 37.5 - 43.1 -

The median age of Empire, 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 9 314 -21.17% 182 -6.69% 248 163
10 to 19 320 -22.28% 318 +9.43% 254 331
20 to 29 174 +60.3% 190 -30.96% 209 133
30 to 39 249 +4.09% 242 +24.42% 256 306
40 to 49 264 -8.88% 318 -38.28% 224 210
50 to 59 322 -24.97% 227 +24.57% 241 280
60 to 69 179 +77.99% 223 +36.91% 361 315
70+ 230 -4.61% 347 -31.6% 214 246

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Empire, Illinois is $78,242.00.

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 Empire.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $98,672.00
  • 45 to 64
    $91,359.00
  • 65 and over
    $45,521.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Empire, 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 Empire, Illinois is currently $96,992.00.

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.

9.54% of households in Empire 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 Empire against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    13.87%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.98%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    10.65%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    18.14%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    18.58%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    7.24%
  • $200,000 or more
    9.54%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Empire is $39,698.00.

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

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

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Empire 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
    8.24%
  • Bachelor's degree
    35.06%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.26%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    47.43%
  • Less than high school diploma
    0.00%

Employment

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

The total population of Empire over the age of 16 is 3,206.

Of those people, a total of 62.70% 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 Empire is 59.70%.

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 211 58.30% 18.70%
20 to 24 years 251 61.80% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 91 87.90% 10.00%
30 to 34 years 272 95.60% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 498 92.40% 5.20%
45 to 54 years 477 86.40% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 270 68.50% 6.50%
60 to 64 years 376 61.20% 6.50%
65 to 74 years 495 13.70% 20.60%
75 years and over 265 14.30% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Empire. 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 3,161 62.20% 4.90%
Black or African American 0 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 45 100.00% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 0 0.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,161 62.20% 4.90%

Occupations

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

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Empire is 1,915, with median earnings of $48,106.00.

Women in Empire, Illinois earning approximately 83.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 1,915 $48,106.00
Male 915 $54,536.00
Female 1,000 $45,395.00

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 245 $92,549.00
Business and Financial 233 $74,205.00
Computer and Mathematical 66 $110,500.00
Architecture and Engineering 24 $74,000.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 21 $50,893.00
Legal 4 $0.00
Educational and Library 92 $43,409.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 133 $47,355.00
Healthcare Support 71 $28,835.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 16 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 101 $16,063.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 36 $61,250.00
Personal Care and Service 64 $19,500.00
Sales 166 $36,250.00
Office and Administrative Support 206 $43,125.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 66 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 139 $48,750.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 38 $54,286.00
Production 111 $48,378.00
Transportation and Material Moving 45 $19,417.00

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 185 $92,699.00 60 $72,500.00
Business and Financial 42 $91,563.00 191 $68,882.00
Computer and Mathematical 41 $91,250.00 25 $111,477.00
Architecture and Engineering 24 $74,000.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 0 $0.00 21 $50,893.00
Legal 0 $0.00 4 $0.00
Educational and Library 10 $0.00 82 $42,083.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 0 $0.00 133 $47,355.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 71 $28,835.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 7 $0.00 9 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 34 $0.00 67 $6,615.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 36 $61,250.00 0 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 14 $0.00 50 $18,333.00
Sales 68 $90,278.00 98 $29,000.00
Office and Administrative Support 90 $65,667.00 116 $36,071.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 66 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 119 $43,750.00 20 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 38 $54,286.00 0 $0.00
Production 76 $48,587.00 35 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 27 $43,646.00 18 $0.00

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 1,615 households in Empire, with an average household size of 2.43 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 1,099 families in Empire with an average family size of 2.92 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 838 176 85 516
Average Household Size 3.09 2.93 2.66 1.17
Total Families 838 176 85 0
Average Household Size 3.07 2.39 2.51 0

Poverty

Of the 1,099 families in Empire, 8.60% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Empire:

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 1,670 housing units in Empire, Illinois.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,615 96.71%
Vacant 55 3.29%

14.73% of the total 1,670 housing units in Empire are rental units. This is approximately 246 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,352 are occupied by the owner - or 80.96% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Empire is $679.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Empire 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
    17
  • Less than $500
    13
  • $500 to $999
    215
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    18
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Empire is $144,900.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    73
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    188
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    478
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    313
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    232
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    41
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    27
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    413
  • 1940 to 1949
    66
  • 1950 to 1959
    143
  • 1960 to 1969
    210
  • 1970 to 1979
    336
  • 1980 to 1989
    113
  • 1990 to 1999
    175
  • 2000 to 2009
    171
  • 2010 to 2013
    43
  • 2014 or later
    0

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 Empire that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    73
  • 1 vehicle available
    348
  • 2 vehicles available
    698
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    496

Commuting to Work

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

26.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Empire.

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
    74
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    134
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    151
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    118
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    240
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    305
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    325
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    115
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    36
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    105
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    9
  • 90 or more minutes
    27

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Empire, 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.