County · Illinois

Bureau County, Illinois

Bureau County, Illinois. Bureau County had 32,510 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.3% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). It holds 50 places (25 cities, villages and boroughs and 25 towns and townships) and 10 census tracts. GEOID 17011.

Bureau County is one of the 3 counties of the Ottawa, IL micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

32,510

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 33,244 · ACS 2020-2024: 32,866

Median household income

$69,257

±$2,146 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$126,900

±$7,086 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$832

±$43 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

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

The 2020 Census counted 33,244 residents in Bureau County. The Census Bureau estimates 32,510 for July 1, 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 32,866 over 869 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −229 (32,986)
2021→2022 −131 (32,855)
2022→2023 −107 (32,748)
2023→2024 −229 (32,519)
2024→2025 −9 (32,510)

Bureau County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Bureau County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	32,866	12,694,798	−256
Households	14,028±288	5,036,449	no clear change
Average household size	2.31±0.05	2.46	−0.08
Housing units	15,630±87	5,457,452	no clear change

Bureau County's population since 2000

From 35,503 in 2000 to 32,510 in 2025: down 8.4%. 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 35,503
2005 (estimate) 34,977
2010 Census 34,978
2015 (estimate) 33,494
2020 Census 33,244
2025 (estimate) 32,510

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 Bureau County?

Bureau County holds 50 places: 25 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 25 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Princeton Township with 9,020 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 Bureau County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Princeton Township	township	9,223	9,106±25	$65,705	$143,700	11.6%	100%
Hall Township	township	8,258	8,267±28	$71,296	$148,700	7.1%	100%
Princeton	city	7,832	7,975±213	$61,946	$134,700	12.7%	100%
Spring Valley	city	5,582	5,476±36	$70,598	$153,300	7.2%	100%
Selby Township	township	2,152	2,082±229	$66,774	$64,400	12.5%	100%
De Pue	village	1,633	1,532±197	$58,417	$59,300	14.6%	100%
Walnut Township	township	1,597	1,408±223	$63,462	$104,300	7.8%	100%
Concord Township, Bureau County	township	1,423	1,517±200	$66,042	$93,700	13.0%	100%
Walnut	village	1,311	1,282±217	$61,750	$102,100	7.0%	100%
Ladd	village	1,263	1,356±197	$67,321	$129,600	6.4%	100%
Wyanet Township	township	1,245	1,293±204	$62,500	$101,300	14.2%	100%
La Moille Township	township	1,010	1,027±169	$69,604	$138,100	8.2%	100%
Wyanet	village	886	966±153	$63,295	$99,700	13.5%	100%
Westfield Township, Bureau County	township	874	901±137	$63,929	$119,000	10.9%	100%
Sheffield	village	821	874±156	$74,750	$102,400	11.7%	100%
Ohio Township	township	814	895±157	$69,338	$110,000	13.1%	100%
Arispie Township	township	763	894±225	$84,375	$156,800	4.9%	100%
Tiskilwa	village	740	751±160	$66,786	$84,700	18.8%	100%
La Moille	village	679	750±155	$68,125	$111,300	11.2%	100%
Dalzell	village	663	736±163	$77,500	$161,700	8.4%	100%
Berlin Township	township	659	761±184	$83,636	$121,300	15.8%	100%
Neponset Township	township	658	691±119	$72,500	$94,100	14.1%	100%
Indiantown Township	township	593	509±156	$88,242	$112,800	23.2%	100%
Manlius Township, Bureau County	township	574	655±165	$79,423	$147,500	5.0%	100%
Dover TownshipGEOID 1701120539	township	490	394±98	$69,342	$149,000	9.4%	100%
Buda	village	482	517±127	$51,771	$71,600	13.8%	100%
Mineral Township	township	477	428±99	$63,125	$98,700	8.5%	100%
Ohio	village	465	609±154	$68,594	$99,000	18.4%	100%
Cherry	village	435	534±116	$59,545	$107,900	11.8%	100%
Neponset	village	427	446±93	$61,250	$67,800	20.8%	100%
Clarion Township	township	410	253±66	$64,375	$170,400	1.2%	100%
Fairfield TownshipGEOID 1701124790	township	379	120±58	$100,250	$220,500	0.0%	100%
Greenville TownshipGEOID 1701131602	township	353	524±238	$58,167	$171,600	26.7%	100%
Leepertown Township	township	333	307±71	$57,188	$56,400	21.7%	100%
Seatonville	village	321	370±103	$52,679	$96,600	13.2%	100%
Malden	village	318	460±150	$79,107	$112,500	19.6%	100%
Manlius	village	298	306±70	$75,500	$92,200	6.5%	100%
Bureau Junction	village	281	264±67	$56,538	$54,800	22.1%	100%
Bureau TownshipGEOID 1701109668	township	278	344±152	not published	$227,000	33.7%	100%
Mineral	village	206	194±39	$51,111	$79,300	13.9%	100%
Macon TownshipGEOID 1701145928	township	196	130±76	not published	not published	17.7%	100%
Milo TownshipGEOID 1701149438	township	191	143±65	$103,750	$157,500	1.4%	100%
Arlington	village	169	157±37	$54,375	$106,300	19.7%	100%
Gold TownshipGEOID 1701130146	township	152	180±136	$115,333	$187,500	0.0%	100%
Wheatland Township, Bureau CountyGEOID 1701181009	township	142	37±29	not published	$2,000,000 or more	8.1%	100%
DoverGEOID 1720526	village	135	133±55	$49,375	$120,000	11.3%	100%
New BedfordGEOID 1752155	village	76	43±15	$42,500	$78,800	9.3%	100%
HollowayvilleGEOID 1735671	village	36	25±17	not published	$43,300	0.0%	100%
Peru	city	9,896	9,775±207	$74,808	$154,300	9.0%	0%
Annawan	town	884	865±123	$70,729	$135,100	6.7%	0%

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 Bureau County?

The median resident of Bureau County is 44.1 years old; 20.7% are under 18 and 23.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 84.6%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 10.2%. 3.4% 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	Bureau County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	44.1±0.5	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	20.7%	21.8%	–
65 years and over	23.2%±0.2 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10.2%	18.8%	+1.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	84.6%±0.6 pts	58.1%	−3.1 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.2 pts	13.3%	−0.4 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.2 pts	5.9%	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	3.4%±0.6 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.3 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	3.4%±0.6 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	7.3%±0.9 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.3%±0.8 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	14.8%±1.1 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.4%±1.0 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.5%±1.0 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	21.7%±1.3 pts	37.8%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.8%±0.8 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.1%±0.5 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 Bureau County earn?

Half of Bureau County's 14,028 households earn less than $69,257 a year (±$2,146), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $70,686 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bureau County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$69,257±$2,146	$83,390	no clear change
Mean household income	$87,255±$3,165	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$37,423±$1,407	$46,406	no clear change
People below the poverty line	10.8%±1.2 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	13.7%±3.1 pts	15.1%	−8.2 pts
Households receiving SNAP	13.5%±1.1 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.3%±1.5 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 Bureau County?

Owners occupy 76.1% of Bureau County's occupied homes and renters 23.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $126,900 by its owner (±$7,086). The median renter pays $832 a month including utilities, and 25.7% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bureau County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$126,900±$7,086	$263,300	−$10,569
Median gross rent	$832±$43	$1,274	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	25.7%±5.5 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,234±$39	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	76.1%±2.0 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	15,630±87	5,457,452	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.4%±0.7 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	3.3%±2.0 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	85.4%±1.5 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	2.3%±0.5 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	32.1%±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 Bureau County building?

Builders took permits for 16 new housing units across Bureau County in 2025 (16 single-family), 0.5 per 1,000 residents.

2019 20 units
2020 99 units
2021 12 units
2022 20 units
2023 18 units
2024 19 units
2025 16 units

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

How do people in Bureau County get to work?

80.0% of Bureau County's workers drive alone and 5.4% work from home. The average trip to work takes 21.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.3%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bureau County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.8%±1.1 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	4.3%±0.7 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	80.0%±2.0 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	10.6%±1.5 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.2 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	2.5%±0.7 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	5.4%±1.1 pts	15.9%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	21.1 min±0.9	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 Bureau County's census tracts?

Bureau County is divided into 10 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $57,600 (Tract 9649) to $84,875 (Tract 9655).

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

Tract 964717011964700	Cherry (14%)	2,866	2,824±223	$68,398	$132,000	$838	9.6%
Tract 964817011964800	Walnut (11%)	3,231	3,066±308	$69,000	$140,600	$863	10.2%
Tract 964917011964900	Princeton (22%)	2,635	2,794±311	$57,600	$121,000	$975	20.8%
Tract 965017011965000	De Pue (19%)	3,668	3,549±251	$69,643	$82,800	$841	13.3%
Tract 965117011965100	Ladd (31%)	4,224	4,173±262	$73,786	$144,200	$820	6.2%
Tract 965217011965200	Spring Valley (76%)	3,474	3,551±250	$69,375	$156,900	$941	7.9%
Tract 965317011965300	Princeton (86%)	3,370	3,256±319	$62,462	$125,500	$827	4.9%
Tract 965417011965400	Princeton (74%)	3,555	3,547±299	$68,042	$164,500	$648	13.9%
Tract 965517011965500	Wyanet (17%)	3,506	3,392±297	$84,875	$138,100	$907	10.3%
Tract 965617011965600	Sheffield (18%)	2,715	2,714±228	$69,135	$94,200	$1,044	13.1%

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

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

Bureau County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	46th of 102
Growth 2020-2025	51st of 102
Residents per square mile	64th of 102
Median household income	44th of 102
Median home value	62nd of 102
Median gross rent	44th of 102
Poverty rate	70th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	43rd of 102
Median age	28th 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 Bureau 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.