County profile

Coles County

Illinois · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
46,777
Median household income
$56,478
People below poverty
18.7%
Median home value
$127,400

Income

The median income of households in Coles County, Illinois was $56,478. An estimated 6.3% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6.3
$10,000 to $14,999 5.3
$15,000 to $24,999 10
$25,000 to $34,999 10.4
$35,000 to $49,999 11.8
$50,000 to $74,999 19.3
$75,000 to $99,999 11.9
$100,000 to $149,999 13.4
$150,000 to $199,999 7.3
$200,000 or more 4.1

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 55652
Female 46165

An estimated 73.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 31% of households received Social Security and an estimated 25.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,380. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 73.2
Social Security 31
Retirement income 25.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.1
Cash public assistance income 2.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 18.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 20.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 21.1% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 18.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 20.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 21.1

In 2020-2024, 19 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 36.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 33.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 22% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024, 92.9% had health insurance coverage and 7.1% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 62.9% and public coverage was 44.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.7%.


In 2020-2024, Coles County, Illinois had a total population of 46,777 - 23,832 (50.9%) females and 22,945 (49.1%) males. The median age was 37.5 years. An estimated 18.3% of the population was under 18 years, 35.8% was 19 to 44 years, 22.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1269 1042
5 to 9 1096 1222
10 to 14 1376 1114
15 to 19 1747 1933
20 to 24 2710 2964
25 to 29 1382 1411
30 to 34 1525 1467
35 to 39 1215 1104
40 to 44 1489 1488
45 to 49 1295 1150
50 to 54 1276 1188
55 to 59 1264 1315
60 to 64 1586 1557
65 to 69 1326 1470
70 to 74 984 1180
75 to 79 484 812
80 to 84 375 587
85 and over 546 828

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 89.7% were White; 3.6% were Black or African American; 13.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.3% were Asian; 1.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.1% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.9% of the people in Coles County, Illinois were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 88% of the people in Coles County, Illinois were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 20,824 households in Coles County, Illinois. The average household size was 2.06 people.

Married-couple households made up 40.4% of the households in Coles County, Illinois while cohabiting couple households made up 10.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 28.3% of all households, while 20.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 19.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 35.6% of all households.

In Coles County, Illinois, 24.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 29.5% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 40.4
Cohabiting Couples 10.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
28.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46% of males and 42.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 37.6 32.9
Now married, except separated 46 42.1
Separated 1.7 2.1
Widowed 3.3 9.5
Divorced 11.5 13.4

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Coles County, Illinois, 438 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 58.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97.2% of the people living in Coles County, Illinois were U.S. natives. 77.8% of the Coles County, Illinois population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2.8% of Coles County, Illinois residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 54.9% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 45.1 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Coles County, Illinois come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Coles County, Illinois.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 28.4
Asia 45
Europe 19.6
Africa 5.1
Northern America 0.7
Oceania 1.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024, 5.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.3% of people at least five years old; 1.2% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.3
Other Indo-European languages 1.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.6
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 83.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Coles County, Illinois were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 83.6
Different house, same county 7.6
Different county, same state 7.5
Different state 1
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 26.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Coles County, Illinois was 12,235 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 600 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 6,073. College or graduate school enrollment was 5,562.

Educational Attainment of People in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.9
High school diploma or equivalency 30.7
Some college, no degree 20.2
Associate's degree 13.2
Bachelor's degree 15.8
Graduate or professional degree 11.1

Disability

In Coles County, Illinois, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.7% of people under 18 years old, to 15.2% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 38.9% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Coles County, Illinois, 57 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 39.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.1% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 16,991 76.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 3,827 17.1
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,502 6.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Coles County, Illinois worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.1
Construction 6.1
Manufacturing 11.8
Wholesale trade 1.3
Retail trade 12.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.1
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 5.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 29.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.2
Other Services, except public administration 7.3
Public administration 3.4

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 7,782 34.8
Service occupations 4,571 20.5
Sales and office occupations 4,360 19.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,875 8.4
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 3,748 16.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.2% of Coles County, Illinois workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.2% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 18.2 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.2
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 4.8
Other means 2.6
Worked from home 7.2

In 2020-2024, Coles County, Illinois had a total of 22,681 housing units. Of these housing units, 70.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 25.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 3.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 70.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 25.6
Mobile homes 3.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

4.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 23.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Coles County, Illinois was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 54% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Coles County, Illinois had 20,824 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,857 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 60.4% while renters occupied 39.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.24 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.8.

7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.1% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 8.7% and another 16.4% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Coles County, Illinois:

House Heating Fuel Used in Coles County, Illinois in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 56.5
Electricity 41.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 1.6
No fuel used 0.6

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Coles County, Illinois was $127,400.

Of the owner-occupied households, 48.9 % had a mortgage. 51.1% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,220 and for owners without a mortgage it was $546.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Coles County, Illinois was $780. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.