County · Illinois

Carroll County, Illinois

Carroll County, Illinois. Carroll County had 15,419 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.9% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). It holds 20 places (7 cities, villages and boroughs, 12 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 6 census tracts. GEOID 17015.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

15,419

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 15,702 · ACS 2020-2024: 15,576

Median household income

$60,758

±$2,707 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$114,500

±$5,896 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$818

±$38 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

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

The 2020 Census counted 15,702 residents in Carroll County. The Census Bureau estimates 15,419 for July 1, 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 15,576 over 445 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +37 (15,723)
2021→2022 −160 (15,563)
2022→2023 −23 (15,540)
2023→2024 −72 (15,468)
2024→2025 −49 (15,419)

Carroll County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Carroll County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	15,576	12,694,798	+1,110
Households	6,578±242	5,036,449	no clear change
Average household size	2.12±0.08	2.46	no clear change
Housing units	8,204±41	5,457,452	−271

Carroll County's population since 2000

From 16,674 in 2000 to 15,419 in 2025: down 7.5%. 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 16,674
2005 (estimate) 15,914
2010 Census 15,387
2015 (estimate) 14,638
2020 Census 15,702
2025 (estimate) 15,419

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 Carroll County?

Carroll County holds 20 places: 7 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 12 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Savanna Township with 3,324 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 Carroll County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Savanna Township	township	3,432	3,388±25	$49,955	$81,600	16.6%	100%
Savanna	city	2,783	2,816±216	$48,036	$72,400	18.6%	100%
York Township, Carroll County	township	2,739	2,763±25	$66,528	$162,000	15.3%	100%
Rock Creek-Lima Township	township	1,993	1,891±272	$68,056	$102,800	10.3%	100%
Mount Carroll Township	township	1,963	1,927±194	$53,558	$95,900	13.3%	100%
Thomson	village	1,610	1,757±91	$61,250	$117,000	21.3%	100%
Cherry Grove-Shannon Township	township	1,539	1,565±250	$74,191	$143,000	17.3%	100%
Lanark	city	1,504	1,541±249	$59,375	$96,600	12.7%	100%
Mount Carroll	city	1,479	1,501±139	$58,500	$86,600	14.1%	100%
Wysox Township	township	1,324	1,427±231	$66,641	$100,800	12.1%	100%
Milledgeville	village	1,026	1,218±212	$59,417	$94,200	11.2%	100%
Lake CarrollGEOID 1740980	CDP	852	853±227	$108,750	$348,500	5.5%	100%
Shannon	village	801	772±132	$58,929	$115,100	9.7%	100%
Freedom Township, Carroll CountyGEOID 1701527832	township	799	672±159	$85,938	$322,600	13.5%	100%
Fairhaven Township	township	757	860±167	$72,981	$103,000	4.9%	100%
Chadwick	village	481	591±150	$78,688	$85,700	3.4%	100%
Salem Township, Carroll CountyGEOID 1701567210	township	350	333±145	$60,192	$232,100	36.4%	100%
Washington Township, Carroll CountyGEOID 1701579020	township	317	341±162	$70,673	$351,800	11.4%	100%
Woodland Township, Carroll CountyGEOID 1701583076	township	292	338±159	$104,000	$147,900	17.2%	100%
Elkhorn Grove TownshipGEOID 1701523321	township	197	71±37	$40,500	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 Carroll County?

The median resident of Carroll County is 45.4 years old; 17.7% are under 18 and 24.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.8%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 5.3%. 2.4% 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	Carroll County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	45.4±0.5	39.0	−2.9
Under 18 years	17.7%±0.4 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	24.2%±0.3 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.3%	18.8%	+1.6 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	87.8%±0.4 pts	58.1%	−5.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	3.9%±0.5 pts	13.3%	+2.7 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.2 pts	5.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.2 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1.7%±0.6 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	2.4%±0.6 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.0%±1.3 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	8.6%±1.3 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	16.2%±1.5 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.8%±1.3 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	88.9%±1.6 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	17.8%±1.7 pts	37.8%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	4.6%±0.8 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	3.3%±1.1 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 Carroll County earn?

Half of Carroll County's 6,578 households earn less than $60,758 a year (±$2,707), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $64,501 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Carroll County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$60,758±$2,707	$83,390	no clear change
Mean household income	$77,693±$3,714	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$32,110±$1,478	$46,406	−$3,784
People below the poverty line	14.2%±2.3 pts	11.8%	+3.5 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	23.1%±5.7 pts	15.1%	+10.1 pts
Households receiving SNAP	15.1%±2.4 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.1%±2.1 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 Carroll County?

Owners occupy 77.2% of Carroll County's occupied homes and renters 22.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $114,500 by its owner (±$5,896). The median renter pays $818 a month including utilities, and 28.9% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Carroll County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$114,500±$5,896	$263,300	−$16,077
Median gross rent	$818±$38	$1,274	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	28.9%±7.3 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,205±$63	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	77.2%±2.6 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	8,204±41	5,457,452	−271
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.3%±0.9 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.2%±3.8 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	86.3%±2.4 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	3.3%±1.4 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.4 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	35.0%±3.0 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 Carroll County building?

Builders took permits for 18 new housing units across Carroll County in 2025 (18 single-family), 1.2 per 1,000 residents.

2019 17 units
2020 34 units
2021 40 units
2022 21 units
2023 22 units
2024 25 units
2025 18 units

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

How do people in Carroll County get to work?

79.2% of Carroll County's workers drive alone and 6.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.1%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Carroll County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	50.5%±1.7 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	3.1%±1.0 pts	5.8%	−2.5 pts
Drove alone to work	79.2%±3.4 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	9.5%±2.3 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.9%±0.7 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	2.7%±1.2 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	6.8%±1.7 pts	15.9%	+2.1 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.6 min±1.7	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 Carroll County's census tracts?

Carroll County is divided into 6 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $49,821 (Tract 9603) to $74,861 (Tract 9601).

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

Tract 960117015960100	Lanark (26%)	3,773	3,666±323	$74,861	$137,500	$759	13.3%
Tract 960217015960200	Savanna (2%)	1,976	1,844±233	$64,013	$164,700	$1,211	14.2%
Tract 960317015960300	Savanna (67%)	3,000	3,029±187	$49,821	$74,100	$835	17.2%
Tract 960417015960400	Mount Carroll (55%)	1,944	1,947±197	$54,483	$98,900	$747	18.9%
Tract 960517015960500	Milledgeville (26%)	2,461	2,489±233	$69,784	$108,600	$748	7.8%
Tract 960617015960600	Thomson (23%)	2,548	2,601±112	$68,281	$166,300	$945	16.0%

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

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

Carroll County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	68th of 102
Growth 2020-2025	43rd of 102
Residents per square mile	67th of 102
Median household income	80th of 102
Median home value	70th of 102
Median gross rent	48th of 102
Poverty rate	34th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	84th of 102
Median age	14th 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 Carroll 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.