Mercer County, Illinois

16 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 15,619
Median household income: $71,710
Median home value: $139,300

Mercer County is a county in Illinois with a population of 15,619. 16 cities and places have their primary county here. Its median household income of $71,710 runs below the Illinois figure of $81,702.

From 2019 to 2023, Mercer County's population held roughly steady from 15,589 to 15,619, while its median household income rose 19.9% from $59,787 to $71,710.

87.6% of homes are single-family detached houses. The typical home was built around 1960.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 15,619
Median age: 44.5 yrs
Median household income: $71,710
Median home value: $139,300
Median gross rent: $757
Housing units: 7,279
Homeownership rate: 82.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 18.9%
Unemployment rate: 3.1%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

15,58915,619

Median household income

$59,787$71,710

Median home value

$107,600$139,300

Median gross rent

$655$757

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	15,589	$59,787	$107,600	$655
2020	15,503	$57,182	$111,000	$688
2021	15,779	$59,972	$116,300	$692
2022	15,692	$67,028	$131,000	$759
2023	15,619	$71,710	$139,300	$757

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

Age distribution

Under 54.8%

5 to 1716.2%

18 to 247.5%

25 to 3410.3%

35 to 4412.0%

45 to 5412.6%

55 to 6415.0%

65 to 7412.3%

75 and over9.1%

	Count	Share
Under 5	757	4.8%
5 to 17	2,536	16.2%
18 to 24	1,174	7.5%
25 to 34	1,608	10.3%
35 to 44	1,882	12.0%
45 to 54	1,961	12.6%
55 to 64	2,349	15.0%
65 to 74	1,923	12.3%
75 and over	1,429	9.1%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	14,606	93.5%
Black or African American	88	0.6%
American Indian & Alaska Native	14	0.1%
Asian	52	0.3%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Some other race	4	0.0%
Two or more races	341	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	514	3.3%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma6.7%

High school graduate40.2%

Some college or associate's34.2%

Bachelor's degree12.6%

Graduate or professional degree6.3%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	746	6.7%
High school graduate	4,483	40.2%
Some college or associate's	3,812	34.2%
Bachelor's degree	1,408	12.6%
Graduate or professional degree	703	6.3%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 28 min

Drove alone81.4%

Carpooled8.0%

Public transit0.1%

Walked2.2%

Bicycle0.0%

Worked from home7.8%

Other means0.5%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	5,914	81.4%
Carpooled	578	8.0%
Public transit	10	0.1%
Walked	158	2.2%
Bicycle	0	0.0%
Worked from home	565	7.8%
Other means	37	0.5%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	2,083	31.1%
15 to 29 min	1,607	24.0%
30 to 44 min	1,503	22.4%
45 to 59 min	994	14.8%
60+ min	510	7.6%

Households

Average household size: 2.41
Poverty rate: 7.9% (1,217 of 15,437)

	Count	Share
Family households	4,497	70.1%
Nonfamily households	1,916	29.9%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1960

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	6,413	88.1%
Vacant	866	11.9%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	5,305	82.7%
Renter-occupied	1,108	17.3%

1-unit, detached87.6%

1-unit, attached0.9%

2 to 4 units4.2%

5 to 19 units2.4%

20 or more units1.5%

Mobile home & other3.3%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	6,373	87.6%
1-unit, attached	69	0.9%
2 to 4 units	308	4.2%
5 to 19 units	174	2.4%
20 or more units	112	1.5%
Mobile home & other	243	3.3%

Geography

County GEOID: 17131
State: Illinois
Land area: 561 sq mi
Water area: 7.49 sq mi
Center point: 41.2056, -90.7418

Cities & places

Compare with nearby counties

Other counties in Illinois

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