County · Illinois

Adams County, Illinois

Adams County, Illinois. Adams County had 64,267 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.2% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). It holds 47 places (14 cities, villages and boroughs, 22 towns and townships and 11 census-designated) and 19 census tracts. GEOID 17001.

Adams County is one of the 2 counties of the Quincy, IL-MO micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

64,267

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 65,737 · ACS 2020-2024: 64,754

Median household income

$66,220

±$3,435 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$162,600

±$4,166 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$828

±$43 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

How many people live in Adams County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 65,737 residents in Adams County. The Census Bureau estimates 64,267 for July 1, 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 64,754 over 855 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −488 (65,149)
2021→2022 −592 (64,557)
2022→2023 −49 (64,508)
2023→2024 −292 (64,216)
2024→2025 +51 (64,267)

Adams County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Adams County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	64,754	12,694,798	−1,331
Households	27,915±376	5,036,449	+803
Average household size	2.25±0.03	2.46	−0.13
Housing units	30,302±58	5,457,452	no clear change

Adams County's population since 2000

From 68,277 in 2000 to 64,267 in 2025: down 5.9%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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.

2000 Census 68,277
2005 (estimate) 66,920
2010 Census 67,103
2015 (estimate) 66,850
2020 Census 65,737
2025 (estimate) 64,267

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Adams County?

Adams County holds 47 places: 14 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 22 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 11 census-designated places. The largest is Quincy with 38,918 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Adams County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Quincy	city	39,463	39,109±28	$56,480	$153,200	16.7%	100%
Melrose Township, Adams County	township	5,748	5,560±16	$84,464	$219,500	8.3%	100%
Ellington Township	township	2,820	2,755±16	$105,901	$233,900	5.4%	100%
Riverside Township, Adams County	township	2,103	2,060±241	$80,859	$213,300	5.9%	100%
Payson Township	township	1,743	1,928±427	$62,041	$139,500	8.8%	100%
Camp Point Township	township	1,654	1,801±326	$66,182	$153,700	9.9%	100%
Mendon Township	township	1,445	1,675±286	$76,048	$133,400	10.8%	100%
Liberty Township, Adams CountyGEOID 1700143146	township	1,379	1,251±232	$93,452	$172,400	2.1%	100%
Gilmer TownshipGEOID 1700129288	township	1,168	988±216	$84,662	$227,900	2.0%	100%
Camp Point	village	1,121	1,230±304	$62,188	$127,800	14.9%	100%
Ursa Township	township	1,102	1,024±184	$67,083	$153,400	7.5%	100%
Payson	village	1,025	1,100±330	$60,478	$132,000	12.5%	100%
Clayton Township, Adams County	township	958	752±127	$65,682	$107,400	9.8%	100%
Burton Township, Adams CountyGEOID 1700110019	township	929	627±136	$109,219	$244,400	1.4%	100%
Mendon	village	872	1,167±268	$65,781	$111,600	15.7%	100%
Northeast Township	township	836	1,063±263	$67,292	$142,600	6.9%	100%
Honey Creek Township, Adams County	township	747	757±191	$88,438	$162,300	3.4%	100%
Golden	village	648	693±191	$55,000	$122,800	6.4%	100%
Clayton	village	639	602±125	$66,136	$91,500	12.6%	100%
Ursa	village	609	726±165	$64,375	$161,900	10.7%	100%
Keene Township	township	595	537±133	$69,135	$92,600	5.6%	100%
Columbus TownshipGEOID 1700115859	township	579	852±338	$105,581	$268,200	2.3%	100%
Liberty	village	543	409±142	$78,977	$137,500	6.4%	100%
Fall Creek TownshipGEOID 1700125258	township	536	153±90	$74,191	$415,100	0.0%	100%
Lima TownshipGEOID 1700143458	township	514	593±154	$47,000	$196,400	5.7%	100%
Richfield TownshipGEOID 1700163550	township	407	316±211	$126,786	$322,000	3.8%	100%
Beverly TownshipGEOID 1700105742	township	354	238±165	not published	$160,900	52.9%	100%
Loraine	village	300	341±100	$58,750	$83,600	8.8%	100%
Concord Township, Adams CountyGEOID 1700116015	township	279	432±285	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
PlainvilleGEOID 1760339	village	271	183±55	$76,250	$98,000	8.7%	100%
McKee TownshipGEOID 1700145746	township	192	110±90	$41,607	not published	40.0%	100%
Houston TownshipGEOID 1700136295	township	186	173±87	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
FowlerGEOID 1727377	CDP	154	32±26	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
CoatsburgGEOID 1715261	village	150	209±67	$63,750	$81,700	6.2%	100%
LimaGEOID 1743445	village	148	224±91	$74,375	$88,800	4.9%	100%
PalomaGEOID 1757342	CDP	114	161±150	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
ColumbusGEOID 1715846	village	114	106±43	$75,000	$111,400	10.4%	100%
BurtonGEOID 1710006	CDP	103	149±86	$108,125	$138,500	0.0%	100%
AdamsGEOID 1700191	CDP	75	106±115	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
MarcellineGEOID 1746734	CDP	75	33±34	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
BeverlyGEOID 1705729	CDP	72	0±13	not published	not published	–	100%
La PrairieGEOID 1742080	village	42	48±49	$83,333	$105,600	4.2%	100%
BloomfieldGEOID 1706565	CDP	32	0±13	not published	not published	–	100%
Fall CreekGEOID 1725245	CDP	31	0±13	not published	not published	–	100%
RichfieldGEOID 1763537	CDP	26	0±13	not published	not published	–	100%
Kingston, Adams County	CDP	20	132±142	not published	not published	82.6%	100%
MeyerGEOID 1748684	CDP	18	22±27	not published	not published	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Adams County?

The median resident of Adams County is 41.4 years old; 22.5% are under 18 and 20.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 90.0%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 4.1%. 1.2% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Adams County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.4±0.4	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	22.5%	21.8%	–
65 years and over	20.6%±0.2 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.1%	18.8%	+0.5 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	90.0%±0.2 pts	58.1%	−1.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	2.8%±0.4 pts	13.3%	−1.3 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.2 pts	5.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±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	4.1%±0.4 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.2%±0.3 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.4%±0.5 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.7%±0.8 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	18.1%±1.4 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.4%±0.8 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.8%±1.0 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.5%±1.8 pts	37.8%	+2.5 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.8%±1.0 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.5%±0.7 pts	1.6%	–

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 Adams County earn?

Half of Adams County's 27,915 households earn less than $66,220 a year (±$3,435), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $65,218 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$66,220±$3,435	$83,390	no clear change
Mean household income	$85,695±$4,023	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$37,595±$1,628	$46,406	no clear change
People below the poverty line	12.8%±1.5 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.3%±3.8 pts	15.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	12.4%±1.4 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.5%±1.7 pts	90.8%	–

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 Adams County?

Owners occupy 72.1% of Adams County's occupied homes and renters 27.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $162,600 by its owner (±$4,166). The median renter pays $828 a month including utilities, and 34.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$162,600±$4,166	$263,300	no clear change
Median gross rent	$828±$43	$1,274	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	34.6%±4.6 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,279±$42	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	72.1%±1.9 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	30,302±58	5,457,452	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.2%±0.3 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.3%±1.8 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	76.3%±1.8 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	4.5%±0.8 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	23.0%±1.7 pts	20.2%	–

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 Adams County building?

Builders took permits for 36 new housing units across Adams County in 2025 (26 single-family), 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 61 units
2020 66 units
2021 70 units
2022 66 units
2023 61 units
2024 69 units
2025 36 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Adams County get to work?

79.5% of Adams County's workers drive alone and 7.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 16.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	65.2%±1.3 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	3.9%±0.7 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	79.5%±2.1 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	8.3%±1.2 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.2 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	2.6%±0.7 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	7.6%±1.2 pts	15.9%	+2.9 pts
Mean travel time to work	16.9 min±0.8	27.8 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 are Adams County's census tracts?

Adams County is divided into 19 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $18,784 (Tract 7) to $102,764 (Tract 104).

Census tracts of Adams County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 117001000100	Quincy (75%)	4,644	4,219±437	$69,851	$154,900	$945	11.2%
Tract 2.0117001000201	Quincy (96%)	2,067	1,889±306	$57,417	$143,900	$971	9.4%
Tract 2.0217001000202	Quincy	2,870	3,033±309	$75,117	$128,800	$1,182	10.9%
Tract 417001000400	Quincy (95%)	3,793	3,451±466	$42,219	$70,000	$702	28.4%
Tract 517001000500	Quincy	1,719	1,808±313	$41,417	$125,800	$898	31.2%
Tract 617001000600	Quincy	3,590	3,931±435	$72,907	$192,600	$856	7.6%
Tract 717001000700	Quincy (98%)	1,243	1,048±208	$18,784	$143,800	$680	44.9%
Tract 817001000800	Quincy (88%)	2,455	2,345±372	$35,417	$65,500	$596	23.8%
Tract 917001000900	Quincy (96%)	2,572	2,400±306	$43,618	$119,800	$702	18.2%
Tract 10.0117001001001	Quincy	3,245	3,933±558	$67,813	$134,000	$964	13.9%
Tract 10.0217001001002	Quincy (96%)	3,109	2,820±518	$62,975	$142,300	$1,242	19.4%
Tract 1117001001100	Quincy (86%)	8,015	7,925±662	$72,411	$207,000	$941	16.1%
Tract 10117001010100	Mendon (6%)	4,403	4,586±381	$71,984	$151,700	$903	7.6%
Tract 10217001010200	Camp Point (15%)	3,634	3,789±348	$66,007	$136,700	$685	8.5%
Tract 103.0117001010301	Liberty (10%)	2,800	2,912±389	$91,378	$183,000	$1,054	7.5%
Tract 103.0217001010302	Payson (14%)	3,062	2,842±413	$72,560	$158,400	$768	6.7%
Tract 10417001010400	Fowler (6%)	3,605	3,392±235	$102,764	$241,900	$1,326	5.0%
Tract 10517001010500	Quincy (34%)	3,069	3,123±404	$80,182	$218,900	$865	4.6%
Tract 10617001010600	Quincy (11%)	5,842	5,308±375	$82,832	$222,600	$848	6.9%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Adams County compare with Illinois's other counties?

Adams County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	23rd of 102
Growth 2020-2025	50th of 102
Residents per square mile	32nd of 102
Median household income	55th of 102
Median home value	30th of 102
Median gross rent	46th of 102
Poverty rate	50th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	23rd of 102
Median age	64th of 102

Every county in Illinois

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Adams County 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' school search.