Washington County, Illinois Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Washington 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 Washington County, Illinois. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Washington County, Illinois. The estimated population of Washington County, Illinois is 13,827 people, with a median age of 44.2.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
13,827
 -1% -3.04%
2020
13,967
 -0.65% -
2019
14,058
 -0.69% -
2018
14,155
 -0.74% -
2017
14,260
 - -

Population of Washington 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
95.8%
96.2%
 -0.42%
Black/African American
0.6%
0.5%
 +20.00%
Native
0%
0.3%
 -100.00%
Hispanic
1.5%
1.4%
 +7.14%
Asian
0.7%
0.4%
 +75.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
1.3%
1.1%
 +18.18%
Other
0%
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 Washington 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 44.2 -0.67% 43.8 -0.23% 44.7 -1.54%
2020 44.5 +1.37% 43.9 +3.05% 45.4 +1.57%
2019 43.9 +1.15% 42.6 +0.71% 44.7 +0.45%
2018 43.4 +0.93% 42.3 +0.48% 44.5 0%
2017 43 - 42.1 - 44.5 -

The median age of Washington 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 9 851 -3.54% 887 -3.35% 816 857
10 to 19 904 -7.49% 719 +1.96% 826 732
20 to 29 819 -17.22% 765 -10.24% 686 689
30 to 39 872 -2.24% 770 +6.51% 851 818
40 to 49 826 +1.14% 873 -13.35% 834 760
50 to 59 1,212 -19% 1,121 -17.66% 996 935
60 to 69 906 +21.2% 800 +17.43% 1,112 947
70+ 792 +2.89% 1,143 +0.99% 815 1,153

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Washington County, Illinois is $67,030.00.

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 Washington County.

  • Under 25
    $58,796.00
  • 25 to 44
    $86,449.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,551.00
  • 65 and over
    $44,769.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Washington 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 Washington County, Illinois is currently $80,047.00.

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.

3.05% of households in Washington 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 Washington County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    15.40%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.06%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.86%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    17.52%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    16.07%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    9.03%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.05%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Washington County is $34,358.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Washington 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 Washington 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
    11.85%
  • Bachelor's degree
    24.27%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    13.63%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    47.17%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.07%

Employment

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

The total population of Washington County over the age of 16 is 11,297.

Of those people, a total of 63.80% 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 Washington County is 60.60%.

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 701 54.40% 26.80%
20 to 24 years 615 85.20% 3.20%
25 to 29 years 760 93.70% 3.70%
30 to 34 years 793 90.50% 9.10%
35 to 44 years 1,641 87.10% 3.20%
45 to 54 years 1,731 90.10% 2.90%
55 to 59 years 1,029 73.20% 4.50%
60 to 64 years 1,156 50.80% 2.40%
65 to 74 years 1,630 28.00% 2.80%
75 years and over 1,241 7.30% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Washington 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 10,981 64.10% 5.10%
Black or African American 80 45.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 117 72.60% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 8 25.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 109 45.00% 6.10%
Hispanic or Latino 127 81.90% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 10,897 64.00% 5.10%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Washington 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 Washington County is 6,849, with median earnings of $41,601.00.

Women in Washington County, Illinois earning approximately 74.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,849 $41,601.00
Male 3,646 $47,309.00
Female 3,203 $35,053.00

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 640 $56,833.00
Business and Financial 255 $61,708.00
Computer and Mathematical 84 $66,154.00
Architecture and Engineering 129 $67,150.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 47 $48,750.00
Community and Social Service 134 $67,984.00
Legal 25 $66,875.00
Educational and Library 395 $41,849.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 87 $9,688.00
Healthcare Practitioners 504 $55,217.00
Healthcare Support 207 $18,125.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 65 $46,250.00
Law Enforcement 75 $55,417.00
Food Preparation and Serving 251 $8,036.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 326 $20,000.00
Personal Care and Service 114 $27,031.00
Sales 614 $28,462.00
Office and Administrative Support 551 $34,542.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 148 $30,000.00
Construction and Extraction 529 $57,978.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 275 $49,688.00
Production 741 $38,384.00
Transportation and Material Moving 311 $51,750.00

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 447 $58,365.00 193 $56,080.00
Business and Financial 88 $76,875.00 167 $61,208.00
Computer and Mathematical 70 $66,538.00 14 $55,000.00
Architecture and Engineering 77 $67,212.00 52 $67,083.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 39 $65,625.00 8 $16,667.00
Community and Social Service 35 $88,750.00 99 $65,417.00
Legal 11 $0.00 14 $51,667.00
Educational and Library 91 $46,875.00 304 $40,598.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 26 $53,125.00 61 $8,646.00
Healthcare Practitioners 74 $92,500.00 430 $54,104.00
Healthcare Support 12 $28,333.00 195 $17,112.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 48 $52,500.00 17 $7,125.00
Law Enforcement 61 $57,361.00 14 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 100 $6,739.00 151 $9,408.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 162 $30,000.00 164 $16,186.00
Personal Care and Service 15 $46,125.00 99 $26,172.00
Sales 317 $43,750.00 297 $23,438.00
Office and Administrative Support 112 $50,833.00 439 $29,602.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 148 $30,000.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 514 $58,210.00 15 $17,679.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 272 $49,643.00 3 $0.00
Production 373 $44,375.00 368 $28,365.00
Transportation and Material Moving 282 $56,818.00 29 $35,956.00

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 5,811 households in Washington 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 3,907 families in Washington County with an average family size of 2.88 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 3,164 250 493 1,904
Average Household Size 2.92 3.06 2.98 1.11
Total Families 3,164 250 493 0
Average Household Size 2.92 2.69 2.73 0

Poverty

Of the 3,907 families in Washington County, 3.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Washington 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 6,428 housing units in Washington County, Illinois.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 5,811 90.40%
Vacant 617 9.60%

12.27% of the total 6,428 housing units in Washington County are rental units. This is approximately 789 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,778 are occupied by the owner - or 74.33% of the total.

Rental Rates

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

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Washington 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
    244
  • Less than $500
    121
  • $500 to $999
    575
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    83
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    8
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    2
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Washington County is $123,500.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    502
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,237
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,056
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    793
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    768
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    282
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    119
  • $1,000,000 or more
    21

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,416
  • 1940 to 1949
    308
  • 1950 to 1959
    755
  • 1960 to 1969
    666
  • 1970 to 1979
    953
  • 1980 to 1989
    703
  • 1990 to 1999
    666
  • 2000 to 2009
    612
  • 2010 to 2013
    331
  • 2014 or later
    18

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 Washington County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    174
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,499
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,156
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,982

Commuting to Work

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

26.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Washington 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
    344
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    974
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    597
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    834
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    862
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    374
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    677
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    305
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    294
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    412
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    445
  • 90 or more minutes
    184

Summary

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

We have data for 20 places in Washington County, Illinois. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.