German Population in Clinton County, IL by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in Clinton County, IL is recorded at 16,277 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Clinton County, IL has some German population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how German communities are spread across Clinton County, IL and comparable counties throughout Illinois.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Clinton County

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  • 1
    Centralia
    German population in Centralia is 2,792
    23.25% of Centralia population is German
  • 2
    Breese
    German population in Breese is 2,435
    55.68% of Breese population is German
  • 3
    Aviston
    German population in Aviston is 1,363
    55.61% of Aviston population is German
  • 4
    Trenton
    German population in Trenton is 1,161
    43.43% of Trenton population is German
  • 5
    New Baden
    German population in New Baden is 885
    25.34% of New Baden population is German

Overview of German population in Clinton County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Clinton County with 16,277 German residents (44.1% of 36,899 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 81st percentile nationally among counties and 76th percentile within Illinois for German population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Clinton County's German population of 44.1% surpassing both Illinois's state average of 16.3% and the national average of 12.6%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Clinton County contains 16,277 German residents, representing less than 1% of Illinois's total German population of 2.1 million.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show Clinton County maintains 34.3 German Americans per square mile, marginally below Illinois's state average of 37.3 per square mile, placing the county near state demographic representation levels.
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12 Cities in Clinton County Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm German populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Centralia, Breese, Aviston, and Trenton. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 12 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Clinton County, IL ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Clinton County German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Centralia 2,792 23.25% 17.15%
2 Breese 2,435 55.68% 14.96%
3 Aviston 1,363 55.61% 8.37%
4 Trenton 1,161 43.43% 7.13%
5 New Baden 885 25.34% 5.44%
6 Carlyle 829 26.45% 5.09%
7 Albers 745 52.17% 4.58%
8 742 58.52% 4.56%
9 583 75.91% 3.58%
10 395 38.57% 2.43%
11 310 53.63% 1.90%
12 124 15.62% 0.76%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Clinton County, IL by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Clinton County German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.