Village · Illinois
Dongola, Illinois
Dongola, village, in Union County, Illinois. Dongola had 638 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 4.2% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 661 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 553 (±171). GEOID 1720305.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
638
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 661 · ACS 2020-2024: 553 ±171
Median household income
$34,145
±$13,349 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390
Median home value
$59,900
±$24,378 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300
Median gross rent
$654
±$312 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274
Where is Dongola and what county is it in?
Dongola is a village in Union County, Illinois. It covers 1.1 square miles of land, 608 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Dongola, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 638 people lived in Dongola on July 1, 2025, down 4.2% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020 Census counted 661 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 553 (±171).
| Measure | Dongola | Union County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 553 ±171 | 16,997 | −284 |
| Households | 219 ±65 | 6,868 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.38 ±0.50 | 2.35 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 279 ±76 | 7,851 | −98 |
Dongola's population since 2000
From 806 in 2000 to 638 in 2025: down 20.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Dongola as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Dongola?
The median resident of Dongola is 49.7 years old; 16.6% are under 18 and 17.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 86.1%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 9.9%.
| Measure | Dongola | Union County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.7 ±15.1 | 44.3 | +21.5 |
| Under 18 years | 16.6% ±7.6 pts | 21.3% | – |
| 65 years and over | 17.9% ±6.2 pts | 22.9% | – |
| Male | 45.0% ±8.6 pts | 50.9% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 9.9% ±11.8 pts | 5.5% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 86.1% ±12.1 pts | 89.5% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.9% ±1.7 pts | 0.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 3.1% ±2.1 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±6.6 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 6.0% ±8.0 pts | 3.0% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 9.6% ±11.3 pts | 5.6% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 6.1% ±4.7 pts | 7.6% | – |
| With a disability | 27.8% ±8.4 pts | 21.1% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 15.5% ±8.6 pts | 6.4% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 81.2% ±9.8 pts | 87.5% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 8.1% ±6.5 pts | 20.9% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.0% ±1.6 pts | 6.9% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 80.0% ±8.0 pts | 91.6% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 3.8% ±5.0 pts | 0.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Dongola earn?
Half of Dongola's 219 households earn less than $34,145 a year (±$13,349), against $55,728 in Union County and $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $42,972 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 18.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Dongola | Union County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,145 ±$13,349 | $55,728 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $59,714 ±$21,850 | $75,826 | – |
| Per capita income | $29,049 ±$24,666 | $31,657 | – |
| People below the poverty line | 18.8% ±8.6 pts | 20.2% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 23.9% ±17.8 pts | 26.2% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 22.4% ±11.4 pts | 17.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 62.6% ±12.3 pts | 81.5% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 57.1% ±12.4 pts | 72.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Dongola?
Owners occupy 67.1% of Dongola's occupied homes and renters 32.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $59,900 by its owner (±$24,378). The median renter pays $654 a month including utilities, and 50.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Dongola | Union County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $59,900 ±$24,378 | $131,700 | −$30,556 |
| Median gross rent | $654 ±$312 | $648 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 50.8% ±25.3 pts | 44.5% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $980 ±$109 | $1,295 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 67.1% ±12.4 pts | 77.4% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 32.9% ±12.4 pts | 22.6% | – |
| Housing units | 279 ±76 | 7,851 | −98 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±21.4 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 10.0% ±15.3 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 74.2% ±8.5 pts | 74.5% | – |
| Mobile homes | 13.3% ±6.5 pts | 13.7% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±12.6 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±12.6 pts | 6.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 31.2% ±11.8 pts | 18.6% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 19.6% ±11.4 pts | 9.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Dongola work and get to work?
75.4% of Dongola's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 28.6 minutes.
| Measure | Dongola | Union County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 36.8% ±9.8 pts | 50.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% ±3.3 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 75.4% ±14.8 pts | 81.4% | – |
| Carpooled | 20.5% ±15.4 pts | 7.2% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±19.6 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Walked | 0.0% ±19.6 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Worked from home | 3.5% ±4.1 pts | 6.2% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 28.6 min ±5.0 | 24.4 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Dongola?
No census tract lies mostly in Dongola; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9505Union County | 3,497 | $73,906 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Dongola) · Census block assignment files
How does Dongola compare with other places in Illinois?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Dongola is the 12,219th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 782nd-most populous of 1,294 in Illinois.
Dongola is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 782nd | 1,294 |
Dongola's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)
Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare Dongola with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Dongola?
24 of the 57 figures for Dongola on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Dongola are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Dongola.