Demographics of DeKalb city, Illinois

DeKalb city, Illinois had 40,467 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +225 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

DeKalb city, in four figures

40,467
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 40,443 ±215.; +0.6%
Change since July 2020: +225 people.; 26.1 ±1.0
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $46,481 ±$3,596
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

DeKalb city, Illinois's population grew 0.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of DeKalb city, 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).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

DeKalb city, Illinois's population grew 0.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of DeKalb city, 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	40,242	100.0	100.0
2021	40,829	101.5	100.2
2022	40,019	99.4	100.7
2023	39,972	99.3	101.6
2024	40,071	99.6	102.5
2025	40,467	100.6	103.1

Population of DeKalb city, Illinois on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	40,242	—
2021	40,829	+587
2022	40,019	−810
2023	39,972	−47
2024	40,071	+99
2025	40,467	+396

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 26.1 ±1.0: for men 25.6 ±1.7 and for women 26.4 ±1.1. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in DeKalb city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Under 5	1,886 ±299	4.7% ±0.7	5.4% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,709 ±593	14.1% ±1.5	16.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	12,048 ±1,069	29.8% ±2.6	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	9,952 ±757	24.6% ±1.9	26.9% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	6,376 ±524	15.8% ±1.3	25.2% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	4,472 ±439	11.1% ±1.1	17.0% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $46,481 ±$3,596, and income per person $27,086 ±$1,838, 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 DeKalb city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Illinois	United States
Under $25,000	5,192 ±834	31.7% ±5.0	14.6% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	3,482 ±606	21.2% ±3.6	16.0% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,574 ±445	15.7% ±2.7	14.8% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,616 ±312	9.9% ±1.9	12.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,720 ±312	10.5% ±1.9	18.0% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,051 ±273	6.4% ±1.7	10.1% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	753 ±275	4.6% ±1.7	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 DeKalb city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Illinois	United States
All ages	8,944 ±1,441	24.9% ±4.0	11.8% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,146 ±511	28.8% ±6.1	15.1% ±0.2	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	6,242 ±1,081	27.2% ±4.3	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	556 ±205	10.0% ±3.5	10.6% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in DeKalb city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	DeKalb city	Illinois	United States
Housing units	17,395 ±433	5,457,452 ±471	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	94.2% ±1.6	92.3% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	5.8% ±1.6	7.7% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	42.1% ±3.0	67.1% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	57.9% ±3.7	32.9% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$204,700 ±$9,840	$263,300 ±$797	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,029 ±$41	$1,274 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1976 ±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 DeKalb city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Hispanic or Latino	8,058 ±673	19.9% ±1.7	18.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	22,790 ±816	56.4% ±2.0	58.1% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	5,587 ±601	13.8% ±1.5	13.3% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,627 ±393	4.0% ±1.0	5.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 384	0% to 0.9%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 27	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 196	0% to 0.5%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2,131 ±489	5.3% ±1.2	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 DeKalb city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Born in the state	29,271 ±1,003	72.4% ±2.5	66.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	6,667 ±734	16.5% ±1.8	17.5% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	813 ±296	2.0% ±0.7	1.3% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	3,692 ±637	9.1% ±1.6	14.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,432 ±393	3.5% ±1.0	7.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,260 ±480	5.6% ±1.2	7.0% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

DeKalb city among the places of Illinois

41st of 337 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the Illinois page.

Places of Illinois near DeKalb city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Moline city	42,197 ±364
Belleville city	41,370 ±45
Romeoville village	41,152 ±75
Crystal Lake city	40,579 ±208
Bartlett village	40,501 ±76
DeKalb city	40,443 ±215
Carol Stream village	39,460 ±99
Urbana city	39,341 ±34
Quincy city	39,109 ±28
Streamwood village	39,001 ±735
Park Ridge city	38,667 ±540

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in DeKalb city, Illinois

Rankings this appears in

No. 3 Places in Illinois by poverty rate
No. 63 Places in Illinois by Hispanic or Latino share
No. 72 Places by poverty rate
No. 119 Places in Illinois by foreign-born share
No. 190 Places in Illinois by median rent
No. 199 Places in Illinois by median home value

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — 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

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026