Village · Illinois
Elsah, Illinois
Elsah, village, in Jersey County, Illinois. Elsah had 539 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.7% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 519 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 708 (±38). GEOID 1723776.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
539
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 519 · ACS 2020-2024: 708 ±38
Median household income
$98,125
±$93,898 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390
Median home value
$221,400
±$33,676 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300
Median gross rent
$1,406
±$1,076 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274
Where is Elsah and what county is it in?
Elsah is a village in Jersey County, Illinois. It covers 1.1 square miles of land, 475 residents per square mile in 2020.
Elsah is in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 15 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Elsah lies entirely within Elsah Township, a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Elsah, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 539 people lived in Elsah on July 1, 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, while Illinois shrank 0.8%. The 2020 Census counted 519 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 708 (±38).
| Measure | Elsah | Jersey County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 708 ±38 | 21,274 | no clear change |
| Households | 39 ±20 | 7,965 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 1.49 ±0.28 | 2.54 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 103 ±40 | 9,958 | no clear change |
Elsah's population since 2000
From 635 in 2000 to 539 in 2025: down 15.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Elsah 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 Elsah?
The median resident of Elsah is 20.3 years old. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 66.5%, then non-Hispanic Asian residents at 11.3%. 13.3% of residents were born outside the United States.
| Measure | Elsah | Jersey County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 20.3 ±0.7 | 43.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 0.1% ±0.3 pts | 19.8% | – |
| 65 years and over | 7.2% ±3.7 pts | 20.6% | – |
| Male | 51.0% ±13.8 pts | 48.8% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 10.6% ±6.8 pts | 1.6% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 66.5% ±11.7 pts | 94.6% | −21.2 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 9.7% ±7.8 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 11.3% ±7.1 pts | 0.7% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 1.1% ±2.4 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.4% ±1.0 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.3 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 13.3% ±8.0 pts | 1.0% | no clear change |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 24.4% ±10.3 pts | 1.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 8.7% | – |
| With a disability | 8.1% ±6.1 pts | 13.2% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 2.4% ±3.7 pts | 5.0% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 87.7% ±13.5 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 61.7% ±15.8 pts | 22.6% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 45.7% ±18.0 pts | 7.8% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 55.4% ±13.0 pts | 89.4% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 7.5% ±6.3 pts | 2.3% | – |
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 Elsah earn?
Elsah's median household income is published as $98,125 with a margin of ±$93,898, too wide to rely on.
| Measure | Elsah | Jersey County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,125 ±$93,898 | $80,361 | – |
| Mean household income | $109,072 ±$34,559 | $98,416 | – |
| Per capita income | $9,557 ±$3,781 | $38,634 | −$6,904 |
| People below the poverty line | 25.0% ±13.3 pts | 8.8% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 0.0% ±100.0 pts | 8.8% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 0.0% ±51.0 pts | 11.9% | – |
| Households with a computer | 92.3% ±10.0 pts | 89.4% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 89.7% ±11.6 pts | 86.4% | – |
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 Elsah?
Owners occupy 87.2% of Elsah's occupied homes and renters 12.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $221,400 by its owner (±$33,676).
| Measure | Elsah | Jersey County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $221,400 ±$33,676 | $171,900 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $1,406 ±$1,076 | $846 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 20.0% ±51.7 pts | 29.6% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,750 ±$1,093 | $1,517 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 87.2% ±14.0 pts | 80.5% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 12.8% ±14.0 pts | 19.5% | – |
| Housing units | 103 ±40 | 9,958 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 29.2% ±25.1 pts | 3.3% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 30.0% ±45.8 pts | 7.9% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 96.1% ±6.8 pts | 86.1% | – |
| Mobile homes | 0.0% ±29.6 pts | 7.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±29.6 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 1.9% ±3.2 pts | 5.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 50.5% ±18.3 pts | 16.0% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 5.1% ±8.7 pts | 4.7% | – |
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 Elsah work and get to work?
The average trip to work takes 11.4 minutes.
| Measure | Elsah | Jersey County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 44.1% ±12.4 pts | 60.6% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 8.0% ±10.5 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 31.2% ±21.8 pts | 74.6% | – |
| Carpooled | 3.5% ±6.8 pts | 9.3% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±14.9 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Walked | 42.9% ±20.0 pts | 3.1% | – |
| Worked from home | 19.5% ±15.3 pts | 11.7% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 11.4 min ±5.0 | 27.1 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 Elsah?
No census tract lies mostly in Elsah; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 103Jersey County | 3,882 | $83,750 |
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 Elsah) · Census block assignment files
How does Elsah compare with other places in Illinois?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Elsah is the 12,890th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 831st-most populous of 1,294 in Illinois.
Elsah 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 | 831st | 1,294 |
Elsah's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)
Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare Elsah 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 Elsah?
27 of the 57 figures for Elsah 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 Elsah 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 Elsah.