County · Illinois

Effingham County, Illinois

Effingham County, Illinois. Effingham County had 34,519 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.4% since 2020, in line with Illinois (−0.8%). It holds 25 places (10 cities, villages and boroughs and 15 towns and townships) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 17049.

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

Residents, July 2025 estimate

34,519

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 34,668 · ACS 2020-2024: 34,522

Median household income

$80,404

±$3,469 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$189,500

±$10,445 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$733

±$29 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

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

The 2020 Census counted 34,668 residents in Effingham County. The Census Bureau estimates 34,519 for July 1, 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, in line with Illinois (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 34,522 over 479 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −182 (34,513)
2021→2022 −196 (34,317)
2022→2023 +133 (34,450)
2023→2024 +91 (34,541)
2024→2025 −22 (34,519)

Effingham County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Effingham County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	34,522	12,694,798	+385
Households	13,951±274	5,036,449	no clear change
Average household size	2.44±0.05	2.46	no clear change
Housing units	15,413±32	5,457,452	+521

Effingham County's population since 2000

From 34,264 in 2000 to 34,519 in 2025: up 0.7%. 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 34,264
2005 (estimate) 34,365
2010 Census 34,242
2015 (estimate) 34,200
2020 Census 34,668
2025 (estimate) 34,519

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 Effingham County?

Effingham County holds 25 places: 10 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 15 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Douglas Township, Effingham County with 12,693 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 Effingham County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Douglas Township, Effingham County	township	12,556	12,629±22	$74,666	$184,900	13.1%	100%
Effingham	city	12,252	12,342±433	$72,377	$177,500	14.6%	100%
Summit Township	township	3,760	3,743±31	$111,488	$313,400	2.7%	100%
Mound Township, Effingham County	township	3,575	3,532±28	$75,313	$135,000	10.9%	100%
Watson Township	township	3,188	3,185±35	$77,209	$171,400	6.8%	100%
Teutopolis Township	township	2,782	2,751±36	$106,786	$235,900	4.0%	100%
Altamont	city	2,216	2,282±271	$75,510	$129,800	15.1%	100%
Bishop Township	township	1,702	1,899±326	$84,231	$230,600	8.6%	100%
Teutopolis	village	1,618	1,729±214	$115,938	$247,700	2.8%	100%
Mason Township	township	1,275	1,677±359	$77,639	$140,700	15.6%	100%
Jackson Township, Effingham CountyGEOID 1704938063	township	1,227	1,168±358	$72,560	$163,100	27.9%	100%
St. Francis Township	township	1,194	1,153±213	$81,607	$172,200	2.9%	100%
Dieterich	village	890	1,169±242	$74,500	$201,300	10.6%	100%
Union Township, Effingham CountyGEOID 1704976654	township	755	598±200	$84,000	$202,400	0.8%	100%
Liberty Township, Effingham County	township	731	631±169	$61,471	$91,800	20.0%	100%
Watson	village	668	620±126	$74,167	$100,000	14.8%	100%
Moccasin TownshipGEOID 1704949763	township	528	305±121	$62,589	$136,100	4.9%	100%
Lucas TownshipGEOID 1704945161	township	487	370±177	$84,886	$298,600	7.0%	100%
Banner Township, Effingham County	township	464	505±207	$81,029	$145,400	13.7%	100%
West Township, Effingham CountyGEOID 1704979891	township	444	376±162	$95,875	$215,600	2.1%	100%
Beecher City	village	428	414±112	$43,750	$90,800	25.8%	100%
Edgewood	village	398	351±83	$47,604	$85,500	18.2%	100%
Mason	town	323	467±164	$65,455	$82,900	35.5%	100%
MontroseGEOID 1750283	village	210	255±90	$60,625	$125,000	12.9%	99%
ShumwayGEOID 1769797	village	188	260±104	$82,159	$102,500	20.7%	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 Effingham County?

The median resident of Effingham County is 40.0 years old; 23.9% are under 18 and 18.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 94.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 2.8%. 1.6% 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	Effingham County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	40.0±0.4	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	23.9%	21.8%	–
65 years and over	18.8%±0.1 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.8%	18.8%	+0.7 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	94.2%±0.4 pts	58.1%	−1.6 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	13.3%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.1 pts	5.9%	+0.3 pts
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	1.6%±0.4 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.6%±0.4 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	3.2%±0.7 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.9%±0.7 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	14.3%±1.3 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.3%±1.0 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.0%±1.2 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	26.9%±1.8 pts	37.8%	+4.2 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.9%±1.3 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±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 Effingham County earn?

Half of Effingham County's 13,951 households earn less than $80,404 a year (±$3,469), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 the median was $69,762 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $10,642 after inflation. 10.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Effingham County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$80,404±$3,469	$83,390	+$10,642
Mean household income	$99,682±$4,462	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$40,117±$1,490	$46,406	no clear change
People below the poverty line	10.1%±2.3 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.5%±6.3 pts	15.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	12.2%±1.7 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	90.6%±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 Effingham County?

Owners occupy 78.2% of Effingham County's occupied homes and renters 21.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $189,500 by its owner (±$10,445). The median renter pays $733 a month including utilities, and 27.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Effingham County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$189,500±$10,445	$263,300	+$12,772
Median gross rent	$733±$29	$1,274	−$67
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	27.1%±5.1 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,427±$51	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	78.2%±2.0 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	15,413±32	5,457,452	+521
Homeowner vacancy rate	2.6%±1.6 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.4%±3.5 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	78.8%±2.3 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	7.2%±1.4 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.4%±0.6 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	13.1%±1.8 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 Effingham County building?

Builders took permits for 50 new housing units across Effingham County in 2025 (30 single-family), 1.4 per 1,000 residents.

2019 81 units
2020 52 units
2021 32 units
2022 56 units
2023 65 units
2024 30 units
2025 50 units

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

How do people in Effingham County get to work?

79.5% of Effingham County's workers drive alone and 11.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 18.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.1%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Effingham County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	65.7%±1.9 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	2.1%±0.7 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	79.5%±2.2 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	5.7%±1.2 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	1.8%±0.6 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	11.8%±2.1 pts	15.9%	+8.2 pts
Mean travel time to work	18.1 min±1.0	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 Effingham County's census tracts?

Effingham County is divided into 8 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $61,250 (Tract 9507) to $103,482 (Tract 9501).

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

Tract 950117049950100	Teutopolis (29%)	3,910	3,929±341	$103,482	$232,200	$700	2.1%
Tract 950217049950200	Beecher City (9%)	5,196	4,955±339	$98,306	$287,400	$824	6.2%
Tract 950317049950300	Altamont (43%)	4,130	4,135±303	$75,016	$143,600	$782	13.7%
Tract 950417049950400	Edgewood (15%)	3,649	3,891±357	$81,420	$153,300	$570	13.1%
Tract 950517049950500	Dieterich (14%)	4,629	4,592±386	$85,524	$233,300	$695	5.3%
Tract 950617049950600	Effingham (73%)	5,499	5,443±447	$81,685	$200,700	$754	7.5%
Tract 950717049950700	Effingham (85%)	3,587	3,804±501	$61,250	$186,100	$690	18.0%
Tract 950817049950800	Effingham (80%)	4,068	3,773±487	$62,214	$158,700	$747	19.1%

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

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

Effingham County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	41st of 102
Growth 2020-2025	22nd of 102
Residents per square mile	34th of 102
Median household income	17th of 102
Median home value	19th of 102
Median gross rent	84th of 102
Poverty rate	73rd of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	24th of 102
Median age	81st 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 Effingham 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.