Fulton County, Illinois

County in IL, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

33,020

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

43.9

years ∙ half population younger than 43.9, half older

Diversity Index

15.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.2%

foreign-born population

98.8%Native

1.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Fulton County is a county in Illinois, United States.

Location

County in IL, US

Co-ordinates

DEC40.465240° N, 90.202269° W

DMS40° 27′ 54.86″ N, 90° 12′ 08.17″ W

Population Density & area

38.14/sq mi (14.73/km²)

Total Area

882.7 sq mi (2,286 km²)

Land Area

865.7 sq mi (2,242.1 km²) · 98.1%

Water Area

17 sq mi (43.9 km²) · 1.9%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

52.2% male

Male 52.2%

Female 47.8%

males per 100 females

Fulton County 109.2

Illinois 97.7

United States 98

Nativity

1.2%

foreign-born population

98.8%Native

1.2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Fulton County 1.2%

Illinois 14.7%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

43.9

years ∙ half population younger than 43.9, half older

Fulton County

43.9

Illinois

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

69.5

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Fulton County 69.5

Illinois 63.5

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	19.5%	21.8%	22%
Working age (18-64)	59%	61.2%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	21.5%	17%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	69.5	63.5	64.4
Child dependency ratio	33.1	35.7	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	36.4	27.8	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

91.7%

Black

2.8%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

2.5%

Other

2.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

15.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Fulton County 15.7%

Illinois 60.5%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Fulton County population

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2.5%	18.8%	19.3%
Mexican	2%	14.4%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.2%	1.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.2%	2.5%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97.5%	81.2%	80.7%
One race	95.4%	77.8%	76.4%
White	91.7%	58.1%	57.4%
Black or African American	2.8%	13.3%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.3%	0.1%	0.5%
Asian	0.3%	5.9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.1%	3.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.8% family

Family 62.8%

Non family 37.2%

% family households

Fulton County 62.8%

Illinois 62.2%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.24

persons per household

Fulton County

2.24

Illinois

2.46

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Fulton County population

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Total households	13,795	5,036,449	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.24	2.46	2.53
Family households	8,662	3,130,978	82,990,528
Average family size	2.78	3.14	3.14
Married couple family	6,498	2,282,435	60,637,388
Other families	2,164	848,543	22,353,140
Male householder	726	248,521	6,572,819
Female householder	1,438	600,022	15,780,321
Non-family households	5,133	1,905,471	46,236,968
One-person households	4,375	1,569,881	37,140,836
Male householder	2,017	712,191	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	660	210,051	5,225,110
Female householder	2,358	857,690	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,336	417,870	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	758	335,590	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

15,848

housing units

Fulton County 15,848

Illinois 5,457,452

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

87% occupied

Occupied 87%

Vacant 13%

vacancy rate

Fulton County 13%

Illinois 7.7%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

87.7%

Single family houses

87.7%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

9.5%

Mobile homes

2.9%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1960

Half of houses were built before 1960, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

30.7%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

29.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

29.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.8%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.8	5.6	5.5
1–3 rooms	7.4%	14.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	57.4%	50.9%	51.6%
7+ rooms	35.5%	34.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.4%	3.1%	2.9%
1 bedroom	8.8%	11.5%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	32.7%	27.7%	25%
3 bedrooms	41.6%	35.8%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	16.5%	21.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1960	1971	1981
Total housing units	15,848	5,457,452	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76.6% owners

Renter-occupied 23.4%

Owner-occupied 76.6%

homeownership rate

Fulton County 76.6%

Illinois 67.1%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.27

Owner-occupied

2.13

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Fulton County 2.27

Illinois 2.62

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Total occupied units	13,795	5,036,449	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	17.3%	23.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	34.5%	38.1%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	21.1%	17.3%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	27.1%	21.3%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.3%	97.5%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.3%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.3%	0.8%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.3%	11%	8.4%
1 vehicle	31.8%	35.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	38.6%	35.1%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	24.3%	18.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	77.3%	79.5%	51.4%
Electricity	20.1%	18.6%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.8%	0.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.8%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.7%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.6%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$107,200

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Fulton County

$107,200

Illinois

$263,300

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

22.9%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

22.9%

Owners without a mortgage

12.1%

Renters

45.9%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Property value
Median Value	$107,200	$263,300	$332,700
Under $100,000	46.1%	13.7%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	32.2%	21.5%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	11.7%	22.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	8.1%	27.7%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1.4%	12.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.5%	2.7%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	47.3%	60.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	52.7%	39.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,253	$1,987	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$559	$792	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$785	$1,274	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

18.5%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Fulton County 18.5%

Illinois 37.8%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

9.4%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Fulton County 9.4%

Illinois 9.6%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

6,913

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

74.4%

College / Undergraduate

14.1%

Graduate / Professional

4.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

20.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Fulton County

20.5%

Illinois

41.4%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	6,913	3,051,569	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	7%	6.3%	5.7%
K–12	74.4%	67.3%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6.3%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.1%	19.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.4%	20.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	23.5%	22.1%	21.7%
College or graduate school	18.6%	26.4%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	14.1%	19.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4.5%	6.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	20.5%	41.4%	40.9%
School type
Public school	91.9%	80.5%	82%
Private school	8.1%	19.5%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

24,116

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

7.9%

HS graduate

37.3%

Some college no degree

22.6%

Associates degree

12.2%

Bachelors degree

12.4%

Graduate or professional degree

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

68% · 32%

9th-12th, no diploma

65.2% · 34.8%

HS graduate

57% · 43%

Some college no degree

47.7% · 52.3%

Associates degree

49.8% · 50.2%

Bachelors degree

43.8% · 56.2%

Graduate or professional degree

37.6% · 62.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Population (25+)	24,116	8,767,004	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.5%	4.6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	7.9%	5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	37.3%	25.1%	26%
Some college, no degree	22.6%	19.2%	19.1%
Associate's degree	12.2%	8.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.5%	37.8%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.4%	22.6%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6%	15.3%	14.1%
High School or higher	90.6%	90.5%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$41,708

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$18,664

HS graduate

$36,576

Some college or associates

$44,620

Bachelors degree

$50,000

Graduate or professional degree

$69,940

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

28.7%

HS graduate

13.1%

Some college or associates

8.7%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Fulton County	Illinois	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$41,708	$55,582	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$18,664	$34,655	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$36,576	$40,965	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$44,620	$47,813	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$50,000	$73,326	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$69,940	$91,623	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	28.7%	21.6%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	13.1%	14.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	8.7%	9.9%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6%	4.5%	4.5%

Insights for Fulton County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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