Cook County, Illinois

119 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 5,185,812
Median household income: $81,797
Median home value: $305,200

Cook County is a county in Illinois with a population of 5,185,812. 119 cities and places have their primary county here. Its median household income of $81,797 runs in line with the Illinois figure of $81,702.

Between 2019 and 2023, Cook County's population held roughly steady from 5,198,275 to 5,185,812, while its median household income rose 26.5% from $64,660 to $81,797.

The median gross rent is $1,381. 41.9% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 5,185,812
Median age: 37.8 yrs
Median household income: $81,797
Median home value: $305,200
Median gross rent: $1,381
Housing units: 2,270,349
Homeownership rate: 57.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 41.9%
Unemployment rate: 6.9%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

5,198,2755,185,812

Median household income

$64,660$81,797

Median home value

$246,600$305,200

Median gross rent

$1,123$1,381

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	5,198,275	$64,660	$246,600	$1,123
2020	5,169,517	$67,886	$255,500	$1,160
2021	5,265,398	$72,121	$266,800	$1,214
2022	5,225,367	$78,304	$293,700	$1,318
2023	5,185,812	$81,797	$305,200	$1,381

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 55.6%

5 to 1715.8%

18 to 248.6%

25 to 3415.8%

35 to 4413.9%

45 to 5412.4%

55 to 6412.3%

65 to 749.2%

75 and over6.3%

	Count	Share
Under 5	290,804	5.6%
5 to 17	820,161	15.8%
18 to 24	443,761	8.6%
25 to 34	821,669	15.8%
35 to 44	721,506	13.9%
45 to 54	644,363	12.4%
55 to 64	637,241	12.3%
65 to 74	477,139	9.2%
75 and over	329,168	6.3%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	2,102,352	40.5%
Black or African American	1,148,288	22.1%
American Indian & Alaska Native	3,593	0.1%
Asian	397,936	7.7%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	1,288	0.0%
Some other race	19,148	0.4%
Two or more races	139,173	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,374,034	26.5%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma11.7%

High school graduate22.2%

Some college or associate's24.2%

Bachelor's degree24.4%

Graduate or professional degree17.6%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	423,440	11.7%
High school graduate	805,456	22.2%
Some college or associate's	878,997	24.2%
Bachelor's degree	884,983	24.4%
Graduate or professional degree	638,210	17.6%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 32 min

Drove alone56.2%

Carpooled7.8%

Public transit13.0%

Walked3.9%

Bicycle0.9%

Worked from home16.5%

Other means1.7%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	1,426,145	56.2%
Carpooled	196,983	7.8%
Public transit	329,280	13.0%
Walked	99,763	3.9%
Bicycle	23,348	0.9%
Worked from home	417,538	16.5%
Other means	42,804	1.7%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	336,287	15.9%
15 to 29 min	645,984	30.5%
30 to 44 min	584,713	27.6%
45 to 59 min	278,195	13.1%
60+ min	273,144	12.9%

Households

Average household size: 2.45
Poverty rate: 13.3% (680,528 of 5,101,747)

	Count	Share
Family households	1,211,099	58.1%
Nonfamily households	873,479	41.9%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1961

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	2,084,578	91.8%
Vacant	185,771	8.2%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	1,198,834	57.5%
Renter-occupied	885,744	42.5%

1-unit, detached39.8%

1-unit, attached5.5%

2 to 4 units19.7%

5 to 19 units14.6%

20 or more units19.6%

Mobile home & other0.8%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	903,365	39.8%
1-unit, attached	123,778	5.5%
2 to 4 units	447,716	19.7%
5 to 19 units	331,463	14.6%
20 or more units	445,051	19.6%
Mobile home & other	18,976	0.8%

Geography

County GEOID: 17031
State: Illinois
Land area: 945 sq mi
Water area: 690 sq mi
Center point: 41.8943, -87.6455