City · Illinois
St. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles, city, mostly in Kane County (98.2% of its 2020 residents), with a part in DuPage County, Illinois. St. Charles had 33,594 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 33,081 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 32,854 (±153). GEOID 1766703.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
33,594
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 33,081 · ACS 2020-2024: 32,854 ±153
Median household income
$114,300
±$9,097 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390
Median home value
$377,400
±$10,297 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300
Median gross rent
$1,819
±$80 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274
Where is St. Charles and what county is it in?
St. Charles is a city mostly in Kane County (98.2% of its 2020 residents), with a part in DuPage County, Illinois. It covers 14.5 square miles of land, 2,288 residents per square mile in 2020.
St. Charles is in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 13 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
St. Charles lies mostly within St. Charles Township and reaches into Wayne Township, towns or townships with their own local government (2020 census blocks).
| County | 2020 residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kane County | 32,486 | 98.2% |
| DuPage County | 595 | 1.8% |
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in St. Charles, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 33,594 people lived in St. Charles on July 1, 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, while Illinois shrank 0.8%. The 2020 Census counted 33,081 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 32,854 (±153).
| Measure | St. Charles | Kane County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 32,854 ±153 | 517,255 | no clear change |
| Households | 13,161 ±421 | 184,706 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.47 ±0.08 | 2.77 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 13,829 ±461 | 190,921 | +707 |
St. Charles's population since 2000
From 27,896 in 2000 to 33,594 in 2025: up 20.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for St. Charles 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 St. Charles?
The median resident of St. Charles is 41.5 years old; 20.1% are under 18 and 17.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 74.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 12.3%. 10.4% of residents were born outside the United States.
| Measure | St. Charles | Kane County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.5 ±1.7 | 38.8 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 20.1% ±1.5 pts | 23.9% | – |
| 65 years and over | 17.4% ±1.5 pts | 15.5% | – |
| Male | 50.5% ±1.9 pts | 50.1% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 12.3% ±2.6 pts | 33.4% | no clear change |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 74.7% ±3.3 pts | 54.0% | −7.8 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 2.9% ±1.5 pts | 4.7% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 4.9% ±1.6 pts | 4.0% | no clear change |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±0.1 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±0.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.0% ±1.6 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.2% ±0.2 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 10.4% ±2.1 pts | 17.2% | no clear change |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 17.7% ±3.3 pts | 31.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.0% ±0.7 pts | 4.3% | – |
| With a disability | 9.4% ±1.5 pts | 9.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 4.2% ±1.4 pts | 7.8% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 94.0% ±1.8 pts | 87.4% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 52.0% ±2.8 pts | 38.1% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 20.4% ±2.4 pts | 13.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 84.8% ±2.8 pts | 90.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.0% ±0.7 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 St. Charles earn?
Half of St. Charles's 13,161 households earn less than $114,300 a year (±$9,097), against $103,163 in Kane County and $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $121,092 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 4.4% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | St. Charles | Kane County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $114,300 ±$9,097 | $103,163 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $151,199 ±$8,839 | $131,975 | – |
| Per capita income | $61,527 ±$3,478 | $47,482 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 4.4% ±1.2 pts | 7.9% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 1.3% ±1.0 pts | 11.1% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 5.5% ±2.0 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Households with a computer | 98.0% ±0.9 pts | 97.1% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 95.0% ±1.5 pts | 93.3% | – |
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 St. Charles?
Owners occupy 70.3% of St. Charles's occupied homes and renters 29.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $377,400 by its owner (±$10,297). The median renter pays $1,819 a month including utilities, and 45.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | St. Charles | Kane County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $377,400 ±$10,297 | $327,000 | +$16,437 |
| Median gross rent | $1,819 ±$80 | $1,453 | +$234 |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 45.4% ±8.1 pts | 40.3% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $2,381 ±$69 | $2,256 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 70.3% ±2.7 pts | 76.0% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 29.7% ±2.7 pts | 24.0% | – |
| Housing units | 13,829 ±461 | 190,921 | +707 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 1.8% ±1.3 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.1% ±3.4 pts | 3.1% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 58.9% ±2.7 pts | 69.1% | – |
| Mobile homes | 0.0% ±0.3 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.2% ±0.7 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 5.5% ±1.7 pts | 7.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 9.3% ±1.9 pts | 12.7% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 2.5% ±0.9 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 many new homes is St. Charles building?
Builders took permits for 114 new housing units in St. Charles in 2025 (48 in single-family houses), 3.4 per 1,000 residents against 1.5 across Illinois.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in St. Charles work and get to work?
73.4% of St. Charles's workers drive alone and 15.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 27.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.1%.
| Measure | St. Charles | Kane County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 71.1% ±2.2 pts | 69.5% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% ±1.3 pts | 4.8% | no clear change |
| Drove alone to work | 73.4% ±4.0 pts | 70.7% | – |
| Carpooled | 6.8% ±4.1 pts | 8.9% | – |
| Public transportation | 2.3% ±0.9 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Walked | 1.6% ±0.8 pts | 1.2% | – |
| Worked from home | 15.2% ±2.3 pts | 15.9% | +8.9 pts |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.0 min ±1.4 | 27.8 min | −4.3 min |
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 St. Charles?
7 census tracts lie mostly in St. Charles, and 8 more reach into it (2020 census blocks). Their median household incomes run from $77,727 (Tract 8523) to $159,360 (Tract 8520.04).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 8520.02Kane County | 7,427 | $106,250 |
| Tract 8522.01Kane County | 5,446 | $112,054 |
| Tract 8522.03Kane County | 4,948 | $81,414 |
| Tract 8520.05Kane County | 4,478 | $147,375 |
| Tract 8520.04Kane County | 2,843 | $159,360 |
| Tract 8522.04Kane County | 4,110 | $136,250 |
| Tract 8521.03Kane County | 6,089 | $188,043 |
| Tract 8523Kane County | 1,871 | $77,727 |
| Tract 8520.01Kane County | 4,239 | $102,909 |
| Tract 8521.01Kane County | 7,470 | $193,591 |
| Tract 8413.13DuPage County | 2,780 | $86,331 |
| Tract 8413.10DuPage County | 3,640 | $208,906 |
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 St. Charles) · Census block assignment files
How does St. Charles compare with other places in Illinois?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, St. Charles is the 1,239th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 57th-most populous of 1,294 in Illinois.
St. Charles ranks 192nd of 1,380 places in Illinois with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 57th | 1,294 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 160th | 1,347 |
| Residents per square mile | 230th | 1,383 |
| Median household income | 192nd | 1,380 |
| Per capita income | 106th | 1,383 |
| Median home value | 120th | 1,379 |
| Median gross rent | 83rd | 1,280 |
| Poverty rate | 1,003rd | 1,119 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 133rd | 1,369 |
| Median age | 637th | 1,383 |
| Owner-occupied share | 1,024th | 1,382 |
| Work from home | 287th | 1,015 |
| Travel time to work | 566th | 1,382 |
St. Charles's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)
Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare St. Charles 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 St. Charles?
8 of the 57 figures for St. Charles 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 St. Charles 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 St. Charles.