Demographics of Wayne County, Illinois

Wayne County, Illinois had 15,882 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −261 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Wayne County, in four figures

15,882
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −1.6%
Change since July 2020: −261 people.; 42.8 ±0.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $55,521 ±$3,923
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Wayne County, Illinois's population shrank 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wayne County, Illinois's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Wayne County, Illinois's population shrank 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wayne County, Illinois's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	16,143	100.0	100.0
2021	15,977	99.0	100.2
2022	15,868	98.3	100.7
2023	15,832	98.1	101.6
2024	15,883	98.4	102.5
2025	15,882	98.4	103.1

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Population of Wayne County, Illinois on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	16,143	−46	−14	0	−34
2021	15,977	−166	−79	+10	−103
2022	15,868	−109	−107	+63	−55
2023	15,832	−36	−67	+60	−26
2024	15,883	+51	−48	+75	+26
2025	15,882	−1	−64	+68	−4

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.8 ±0.2: for men 42.2 ±0.6 and for women 44.3 ±0.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Under 5	911 ±43	5.7% ±0.3	5.4% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,681 ±195	16.8% ±1.2	16.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,146 ±151	7.2% ±0.9	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	3,665 ±191	22.9% ±1.2	26.9% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,060 ±211	25.4% ±1.3	25.2% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,510 ±244	22.0% ±1.5	17.0% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $55,521 ±$3,923, and income per person $31,813 ±$2,605, in 2024 dollars. The median is $83,390 ±$362 in Illinois and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Wayne County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Illinois	United States
Under $25,000	1,553 ±248	22.6% ±3.6	14.6% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,636 ±240	23.8% ±3.4	16.0% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,273 ±190	18.5% ±2.7	14.8% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	808 ±157	11.8% ±2.3	12.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	879 ±160	12.8% ±2.3	18.0% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	459 ±92	6.7% ±1.3	10.1% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	258 ±80	3.8% ±1.2	13.8% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Illinois	United States
All ages	2,556 ±592	16.1% ±3.7	11.8% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	804 ±231	22.6% ±6.1	15.1% ±0.2	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,225 ±303	15.9% ±3.8	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	527 ±138	11.5% ±2.9	10.6% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wayne County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wayne County	Illinois	United States
Housing units	7,680 ±30	5,457,452 ±471	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	89.4% ±2.5	92.3% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	10.6% ±2.4	7.7% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	78.4% ±3.0	67.1% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	21.6% ±3.4	32.9% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$110,700 ±$6,140	$263,300 ±$797	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$657 ±$58	$1,274 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1974 ±2	1971 ±2	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Wayne County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Hispanic or Latino	330 ±0	2.1% ±<0.1	18.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	15,171 ±44	95.0% ±0.3	58.1% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	3 to 79	< 0.1% to 0.5%	13.3% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	97 ±41	0.6% ±0.3	5.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 19	0% to 0.1%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	327 ±79	2.0% ±0.5	3.4% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Wayne County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Born in the state	12,030 ±517	75.3% ±3.2	66.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	3,554 ±513	22.3% ±3.2	17.5% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 71	0% to 0.4%	1.3% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	358 ±86	2.2% ±0.5	14.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	30 to 118	0.2% to 0.7%	7.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	284 ±88	1.8% ±0.6	7.0% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Wayne County among the counties of Illinois

66th of 102 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Illinois page.

Counties of Illinois near Wayne County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Hancock County	16,803	−4.4%
Piatt County	16,791	+0.6%
Union County	16,656	−3.7%
Edgar County	16,323	−2.9%
Warren County	16,222	−3.7%
Wayne County	15,882	−1.6%
Carroll County	15,419	−1.7%
Mercer County	15,229	−2.6%
Richland County	15,219	−3.7%
De Witt County	15,118	−2.1%
Clark County	15,114	−2.2%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026