Demographics of Kankakee city, Illinois

Kankakee city, Illinois had 23,400 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −596 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Kankakee city, in four figures

23,400
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 23,996 ±499.; −2.5%
Change since July 2020: −596 people.; 36.1 ±1.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $47,514 ±$3,599
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.

Kankakee city, Illinois's population shrank 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Kankakee 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).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns

About this chart

The figures

Kankakee city, Illinois's population shrank 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Kankakee 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	23,996	100.0	100.0
2021	23,791	99.1	100.2
2022	23,571	98.2	100.7
2023	23,530	98.1	101.6
2024	23,465	97.8	102.5
2025	23,400	97.5	103.1

Population of Kankakee city, Illinois on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	23,996	—
2021	23,791	−205
2022	23,571	−220
2023	23,530	−41
2024	23,465	−65
2025	23,400	−65

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 36.1 ±1.4: for men 35.0 ±1.2 and for women 37.1 ±1.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Kankakee city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Under 5	1,748 ±234	7.3% ±1.0	5.4% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	4,263 ±431	17.8% ±1.8	16.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	2,149 ±302	9.0% ±1.2	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	6,996 ±541	29.2% ±2.2	26.9% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,407 ±461	22.5% ±1.9	25.2% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,433 ±368	14.3% ±1.5	17.0% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $47,514 ±$3,599, and income per person $25,563 ±$2,225, 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 Kankakee city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Illinois	United States
Under $25,000	2,417 ±352	26.5% ±3.7	14.6% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,321 ±364	25.4% ±3.8	16.0% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,685 ±310	18.5% ±3.3	14.8% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	921 ±229	10.1% ±2.5	12.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,101 ±235	12.1% ±2.5	18.0% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	489 ±144	5.4% ±1.6	10.1% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	188 ±89	2.1% ±1.0	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 Kankakee city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Illinois	United States
All ages	5,909 ±747	25.5% ±3.2	11.8% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,828 ±355	32.4% ±5.3	15.1% ±0.2	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,076 ±457	24.4% ±3.3	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,005 ±241	20.4% ±4.4	10.6% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Kankakee city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Kankakee city	Illinois	United States
Housing units	11,049 ±329	5,457,452 ±471	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	82.6% ±2.3	92.3% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	17.4% ±2.3	7.7% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	50.8% ±3.3	67.1% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	49.2% ±3.3	32.9% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$104,900 ±$9,473	$263,300 ±$797	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,023 ±$79	$1,274 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1956 ±3	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 Kankakee city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Hispanic or Latino	5,878 ±596	24.5% ±2.4	18.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	7,515 ±581	31.3% ±2.3	58.1% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	9,556 ±668	39.8% ±2.7	13.3% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	102 to 316	0.4% to 1.3%	5.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 63	0% to 0.3%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	814 ±361	3.4% ±1.5	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 Kankakee city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Illinois	United States
Born in the state	18,200 ±651	75.8% ±2.2	66.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,474 ±412	10.3% ±1.7	17.5% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	37 to 163	0.2% to 0.7%	1.3% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	3,222 ±435	13.4% ±1.8	14.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,422 ±333	5.9% ±1.4	7.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	1,800 ±416	7.5% ±1.7	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%.

Kankakee city among the places of Illinois

96th 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 Kankakee city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Melrose Park village	24,549 ±637
Homer Glen village	24,529 ±78
South Elgin village	24,217 ±56
Collinsville city	24,031 ±38
Rolling Meadows city	24,027 ±589
Kankakee city	23,996 ±499
Elmwood Park village	23,868 ±39
Westmont village	23,724 ±281
Yorkville city	23,617 ±568
Freeport city	23,505 ±40
Loves Park city	23,502 ±472

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

Data retrieved September 25, 2026