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

The German population in Stephenson County, IL is recorded at 16,799 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, IL and comparable counties throughout Illinois.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Stephenson County

View All
  • 1
    Freeport
    German population in Freeport is 7,702
    32.59% of Freeport population is German
  • 2
    Lena
    German population in Lena is 1,379
    49.64% of Lena population is German
  • 3
    Orangeville
    German population in Orangeville is 345
    36.05% of Orangeville population is German
  • 4
    Cedarville
    German population in Cedarville is 337
    47.80% of Cedarville population is German
  • 5
    Pearl City
    German population in Pearl City is 245
    30.70% of Pearl City population is German

Overview of German population in Stephenson County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Stephenson County with 16,799 German residents (38.1% of 44,042 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 81st percentile nationally among counties and 78th 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 Stephenson County's German population of 38.1% 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 Stephenson County contains 16,799 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 Stephenson County maintains 29.8 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.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

6 Cities in Stephenson 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 Freeport, Lena, Orangeville, and Cedarville. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 6 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Stephenson County, IL ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Stephenson County German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Freeport 7,702 32.59% 45.85%
2 Lena 1,379 49.64% 8.21%
3 Orangeville 345 36.05% 2.05%
4 Cedarville 337 47.80% 2.01%
5 Pearl City 245 30.70% 1.46%
6 Davis 158 37.18% 0.94%
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.