According to the latest estimates, Illinois's population is approximately 12,807,072 people as of 2023. Although the "Land of Lincoln" experienced immense growth throughout the 19th century, it is now one of only three states whose populations have declined from 2010 to 2023.
The total area of Illinois encompasses 57,914 square miles, with a population density of 231 people per square mile (mi²). Much of the population is concentrated in the northeastern area of the State, where the city of Chicago (the 3rd-largest in the U.S.) is home to approximately 2,761,625 people; the greater Chicagoland area includes nearly 10 million people in not only Illinois but also Indiana and Wisconsin, and Cook County is the second-most-populous in the country (behind Los Angeles County).
Outside of Chicago, Illinois is rural mainly—72 of the State's 102 counties have fewer than 50,000 residents—and focuses heavily on agriculture. Illinois is one of the leading corn-producing states in the U.S. The second-smallest county in Illinois by area (182 mi²), Hardin County, is also the smallest by population, reporting 3,649 residents in the 2020 census.
Illinois became a state in December 1818. Predominantly Republican from the Civil War through the 1920s, the State voted Democratic throughout the Great Depression and World War II, then returned to the Republicans for eight out of 10 elections from 1952 through 1988. Illinois has voted Democratic in the last eight elections. In 2020, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 17%.
With 19 electoral votes as of 2024, the State is the most significant electoral prize in the Midwest. However, nearby Ohio, with 17, gets considerably more visibility in the general election as it has - until recently - been a presidential bellwether. Like many other northern industrial states, Illinois has lost electoral influence as its population has yet to grow with the rest of the country. The 2020 Census marked the fifth consecutive census where the State has lost at least one electoral vote.
The median age in Illinois is 37.4, with a slight gender difference over the State—50.9% female and 49.1% male.
In religious terms, Illinois has a 71% preference for Christian-based faiths, Christian-based with non-Christian faiths, and anon-Christian-sedation being unaffiliated with any plan religion.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Illinois was:
White: 67.85%
Black or African American: 14.07%
Other race: 6.21%
Two or more races: 5.84%
Asian: 5.66%
Native American: 0.33%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%
Muslims are under a million of the population.
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