Putnam County, Illinois Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Putnam 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 Putnam County, Illinois. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Putnam County, Illinois. The estimated population of Putnam County, Illinois is 5,638 people, with a median age of 46.9.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
5,638
 -1.43% -2.30%
2020
5,720
 -0.02% -
2019
5,721
 -0.44% -
2018
5,746
 -0.43% -
2017
5,771
 - -

Population of Putnam 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
91.6%
92.4%
 -0.87%
Black/African American
0.1%
0.3%
 -66.67%
Native
0%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
6%
5.3%
 +13.21%
Asian
0.7%
0.4%
 +75.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
0.9%
1.6%
 -43.75%
Other
0.6%
0%
 0.00%

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 Putnam 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 46.9 -0.85% 45.9 +0.44% 47.6 -1.65%
2020 47.3 -1.66% 45.7 -1.08% 48.4 -2.42%
2019 48.1 +0.42% 46.2 +0.43% 49.6 +0.81%
2018 47.9 +0.84% 46 +1.55% 49.2 +0.2%
2017 47.5 - 45.3 - 49.1 -

The median age of Putnam 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 9 332 -16.12% 279 0.099999999999999% 281 277
10 to 19 385 -5.08% 272 +15.41% 365 316
20 to 29 294 +3.13% 270 +3.97% 302 279
30 to 39 342 -17.14% 313 -2.05% 286 305
40 to 49 284 +14.63% 306 -5.64% 326 288
50 to 59 512 -26.29% 527 -29.84% 390 385
60 to 69 448 +10.46% 402 +15.12% 495 461
70+ 360 +16% 445 +3.96% 420 462

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Putnam County, Illinois is $67,419.00.

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 Putnam County.

  • Under 25
    $28,125.00
  • 25 to 44
    $77,500.00
  • 45 to 64
    $78,800.00
  • 65 and over
    $59,583.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Putnam 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 Putnam County, Illinois is currently $78,688.00.

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.

2.09% of households in Putnam 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 Putnam County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    12.88%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.93%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.76%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.88%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    20.06%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    7.40%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.09%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Putnam County is $33,187.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Putnam 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 Putnam 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
    9.07%
  • Bachelor's degree
    19.21%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    13.37%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    54.36%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.00%

Employment

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

The total population of Putnam County over the age of 16 is 4,637.

Of those people, a total of 59.80% 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 Putnam County is 57.30%.

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 238 53.80% 8.60%
20 to 24 years 287 66.20% 10.80%
25 to 29 years 294 93.20% 4.40%
30 to 34 years 298 79.50% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 608 78.50% 3.60%
45 to 54 years 689 85.10% 6.00%
55 to 59 years 385 77.70% 3.30%
60 to 64 years 552 69.70% 1.00%
65 to 74 years 783 24.00% 1.60%
75 years and over 503 1.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Putnam 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 4,441 60.00% 4.10%
Black or African American 6 50.00% 100.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 24 50.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 106 49.10% 1.90%
Two or more races 58 67.20% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 228 67.50% 0.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 4,317 59.50% 4.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Putnam 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 Putnam County is 2,657, with median earnings of $37,214.00.

Women in Putnam County, Illinois earning approximately 55.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,657 $37,214.00
Male 1,434 $52,197.00
Female 1,223 $29,023.00

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 212 $59,000.00
Business and Financial 90 $60,000.00
Computer and Mathematical 17 $51,875.00
Architecture and Engineering 39 $54,844.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 12 $44,167.00
Community and Social Service 22 $53,214.00
Legal 8 $25,000.00
Educational and Library 108 $40,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 14 $32,500.00
Healthcare Practitioners 199 $56,250.00
Healthcare Support 92 $11,455.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 21 $31,023.00
Law Enforcement 25 $67,875.00
Food Preparation and Serving 160 $6,429.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 89 $30,114.00
Personal Care and Service 48 $11,591.00
Sales 177 $32,404.00
Office and Administrative Support 328 $30,333.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 35 $2,499.00
Construction and Extraction 168 $60,357.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 174 $79,000.00
Production 239 $37,465.00
Transportation and Material Moving 165 $55,179.00

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 140 $57,250.00 72 $61,563.00
Business and Financial 46 $61,875.00 44 $42,500.00
Computer and Mathematical 11 $70,208.00 6 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 39 $54,844.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 9 $0.00 3 $0.00
Community and Social Service 16 $42,000.00 6 $0.00
Legal 3 $0.00 5 $0.00
Educational and Library 17 $71,563.00 91 $34,219.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 4 $0.00 10 $17,500.00
Healthcare Practitioners 17 $0.00 182 $60,455.00
Healthcare Support 7 $0.00 85 $11,295.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 18 $30,938.00 3 $0.00
Law Enforcement 25 $67,875.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 34 $19,000.00 126 $4,826.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 79 $30,114.00 10 $18,750.00
Personal Care and Service 7 $0.00 41 $12,188.00
Sales 65 $57,031.00 112 $21,711.00
Office and Administrative Support 37 $34,688.00 291 $30,042.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 32 $2,499.00 3 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 160 $60,833.00 8 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 173 $79,125.00 1 $0.00
Production 178 $46,500.00 61 $35,580.00
Transportation and Material Moving 135 $56,964.00 30 $17,059.00

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 2,298 households in Putnam County, with an average household size of 2.45 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 1,575 families in Putnam County with an average family size of 2.93 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 1,252 131 192 723
Average Household Size 2.91 3.36 3.78 1.14
Total Families 1,252 131 192 0
Average Household Size 2.9 2.71 3.32 0

Poverty

Of the 1,575 families in Putnam County, 5.00% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Putnam 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 3,069 housing units in Putnam County, Illinois.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 2,298 74.88%
Vacant 771 25.12%

12.84% of the total 3,069 housing units in Putnam County are rental units. This is approximately 394 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,864 are occupied by the owner - or 60.74% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Putnam County is $689.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Putnam 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
    40
  • Less than $500
    59
  • $500 to $999
    290
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    26
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    12
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    7
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Putnam County is $138,600.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    102
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    451
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    473
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    345
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    392
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    89
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    12
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    750
  • 1940 to 1949
    146
  • 1950 to 1959
    188
  • 1960 to 1969
    214
  • 1970 to 1979
    579
  • 1980 to 1989
    354
  • 1990 to 1999
    359
  • 2000 to 2009
    374
  • 2010 to 2013
    105
  • 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 Putnam County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    93
  • 1 vehicle available
    646
  • 2 vehicles available
    975
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    584

Commuting to Work

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

25.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Putnam 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
    136
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    232
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    234
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    402
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    344
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    292
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    308
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    131
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    53
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    118
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    143
  • 90 or more minutes
    59

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Putnam 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 Putnam County, Illinois

We have data for 7 places in Putnam County, Illinois. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.