County · Illinois

Jackson County, Illinois

Jackson County, Illinois. Jackson County had 52,501 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.6% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). It holds 28 places (11 cities, villages and boroughs, 16 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 17 census tracts. GEOID 17077.

Jackson County is the county of the Carbondale, IL micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

52,501

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 52,974 · ACS 2020-2024: 53,064

Median household income

$48,763

±$3,394 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390

Median home value

$137,300

±$9,859 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300

Median gross rent

$782

±$29 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274

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

The 2020 Census counted 52,974 residents in Jackson County. The Census Bureau estimates 52,501 for July 1, 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 53,064 over 584 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −233 (53,056)
2021→2022 −327 (52,729)
2022→2023 −222 (52,507)
2023→2024 +175 (52,682)
2024→2025 −181 (52,501)

Jackson County in Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Jackson County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	53,064	12,694,798	−4,913
Households	22,955±550	5,036,449	−928
Average household size	2.13±0.05	2.46	−0.13
Housing units	27,727±47	5,457,452	−1,235

Jackson County's population since 2000

From 59,612 in 2000 to 52,501 in 2025: down 11.9%. 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 59,612
2005 (estimate) 60,006
2010 Census 60,218
2015 (estimate) 59,249
2020 Census 52,974
2025 (estimate) 52,501

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 Jackson County?

Jackson County holds 28 places: 11 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 16 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Carbondale Township with 24,571 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 Jackson County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Carbondale Township	township	24,686	24,933±29	$34,878	$139,900	33.5%	100%
Carbondale	city	21,857	22,158±53	$32,128	$127,900	37.4%	100%
Murphysboro Township	township	9,434	9,415±37	$52,687	$108,700	13.9%	100%
Murphysboro	city	7,093	6,735±251	$44,154	$85,900	14.9%	100%
Makanda Township	township	4,034	4,031±20	$84,688	$215,900	8.5%	100%
Somerset Township	township	3,934	3,960±35	$70,911	$184,300	4.3%	100%
De Soto Township	township	2,319	2,615±349	$70,848	$101,200	12.0%	100%
Bradley Township	township	1,908	1,941±329	$70,781	$103,200	16.7%	100%
Elk Township	township	1,746	1,444±209	$46,940	$76,900	18.8%	100%
De Soto	village	1,407	1,654±248	$62,813	$94,700	16.3%	100%
HarrisonGEOID 1733162	CDP	895	830±280	$77,632	$176,100	10.6%	100%
Elkville	village	838	751±163	$39,063	$71,000	23.1%	100%
Levan TownshipGEOID 1707742990	township	816	553±266	$94,000	$247,900	6.9%	100%
Pomona TownshipGEOID 1707760963	township	794	723±261	$53,365	$166,500	11.3%	100%
Sand Ridge TownshipGEOID 1707767522	township	722	924±442	$49,390	$154,100	7.1%	100%
Vergennes Township	township	717	770±233	$61,750	$113,000	4.1%	100%
Grand Tower Township	township	567	628±174	$36,458	$51,600	32.0%	100%
Ava	city	553	561±167	$55,368	$90,500	7.5%	100%
Makanda	village	547	612±155	$79,000	$242,600	8.3%	100%
Ora TownshipGEOID 1707756276	township	492	387±139	$95,375	$342,600	2.3%	100%
Grand Tower	city	479	502±170	$46,875	$39,000	30.1%	100%
Kinkaid TownshipGEOID 1707740104	township	447	434±178	$107,083	$184,400	6.9%	100%
Dowell	village	368	299±80	$55,714	$50,800	19.5%	100%
Campbell Hill	village	309	328±80	$69,018	$96,800	8.0%	100%
Vergennes	village	235	303±79	$54,583	$97,500	7.9%	100%
Fountain Bluff TownshipGEOID 1707727260	township	204	131±68	$67,917	$73,100	18.3%	100%
Gorham	village	173	248±142	$55,938	$26,100	18.1%	100%
Degognia TownshipGEOID 1707719148	township	154	175±106	$61,814	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 Jackson County?

The median resident of Jackson County is 32.4 years old; 18.8% are under 18 and 16.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 71.3%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 13.9%. 5.7% 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	Jackson County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	32.4±0.3	39.0	+0.5
Under 18 years	18.8%±0.1 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	16.5%±0.2 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.3%	18.8%	+0.9 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	71.3%±0.7 pts	58.1%	−2.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	13.9%±0.6 pts	13.3%	−1.0 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	3.7%±0.3 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	4.7%±0.7 pts	3.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.6 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	5.7%±0.6 pts	14.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	9.8%±0.9 pts	24.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.0%±0.6 pts	4.8%	–
With a disability	17.2%±1.0 pts	12.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.3%±0.8 pts	6.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.9%±1.0 pts	90.5%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	36.3%±1.7 pts	37.8%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	16.8%±1.1 pts	15.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	4.6%±0.8 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 Jackson County earn?

Half of Jackson County's 22,955 households earn less than $48,763 a year (±$3,394), against $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $45,832 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 21.0% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jackson County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$48,763±$3,394	$83,390	no clear change
Mean household income	$70,409±$3,654	$115,638	–
Per capita income	$30,227±$1,423	$46,406	no clear change
People below the poverty line	21.0%±1.9 pts	11.8%	−5.5 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	22.3%±4.3 pts	15.1%	−6.9 pts
Households receiving SNAP	18.5%±2.0 pts	13.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	86.5%±1.6 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 Jackson County?

Owners occupy 50.0% of Jackson County's occupied homes and renters 50.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $137,300 by its owner (±$9,859). The median renter pays $782 a month including utilities, and 41.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jackson County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$137,300±$9,859	$263,300	no clear change
Median gross rent	$782±$29	$1,274	−$68
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	41.0%±3.9 pts	39.0%	−9.5 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,367±$68	$1,987	–
Owner-occupied homes	50.0%±2.2 pts	67.1%	no clear change
Housing units	27,727±47	5,457,452	−1,235
Homeowner vacancy rate	2.9%±1.4 pts	1.0%	–
Rental vacancy rate	8.0%±2.2 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	52.2%±1.8 pts	58.2%	–
Mobile homes	11.2%±1.1 pts	2.3%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.8%±0.4 pts	0.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.9%±1.0 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 Jackson County building?

Builders took permits for 4 new housing units across Jackson County in 2025 (4 single-family), 0.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 4 units
2020 5 units
2021 6 units
2022 4 units
2023 6 units
2024 4 units
2025 4 units

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

How do people in Jackson County get to work?

72.5% of Jackson County's workers drive alone and 10.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 7.5%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jackson County	Illinois	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	56.6%±1.5 pts	65.0%	–
Unemployment rate	7.5%±1.5 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	72.5%±2.5 pts	65.9%	–
Carpooled	8.6%±1.3 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.7%±0.6 pts	5.8%	–
Walked	5.1%±1.2 pts	2.8%	–
Worked from home	10.8%±1.7 pts	15.9%	+7.3 pts
Mean travel time to work	20.3 min±1.2	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 Jackson County's census tracts?

Jackson County is divided into 17 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $21,291 (Tract 114) to $87,917 (Tract 116).

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

Tract 10117077010100	Ava (17%)	3,366	3,260±403	$78,250	$131,000	$793	12.8%
Tract 10217077010200	De Soto (18%)	3,850	3,690±344	$54,240	$89,900	$819	15.7%
Tract 10317077010300	Grand Tower (9%)	2,759	2,678±318	$61,801	$105,300	$721	15.5%
Tract 10417077010400	Murphysboro (18%)	4,298	4,592±383	$78,190	$189,900	$931	3.5%
Tract 106.0117077010601	–	1,970	2,229±337	$80,417	$152,500	$797	10.0%
Tract 106.0217077010602	Murphysboro (95%)	3,288	3,216±336	$53,487	$80,100	$820	14.8%
Tract 10717077010700	Murphysboro (89%)	2,991	2,696±358	$25,839	$83,200	$591	19.3%
Tract 10817077010800	Carbondale (67%)	3,345	2,906±313	$49,365	$113,600	$812	12.0%
Tract 10917077010900	Carbondale (52%)	2,364	2,255±390	$69,830	$116,600	$924	6.1%
Tract 110.0117077011001	Carbondale (30%)	1,653	1,622±205	$78,295	$186,500	$1,085	11.8%
Tract 110.0217077011002	Carbondale (77%)	4,495	4,277±487	$74,406	$166,500	$1,017	17.6%
Tract 11117077011100	Carbondale	2,604	2,475±444	$22,596	$142,000	$634	56.9%
Tract 11217077011200	Carbondale (80%)	5,091	4,817±619	$30,639	$93,000	$663	48.9%
Tract 11417077011400	Carbondale (51%)	3,057	3,193±500	$21,291	$153,700	$823	48.7%
Tract 11617077011600	Makanda (15%)	3,721	3,626±206	$87,917	$197,500	$907	8.1%
Tract 117.0117077011701	Carbondale (26%)	1,354	1,627±304	$49,306	$213,300	$869	15.0%
Tract 117.0217077011702	Carbondale (87%)	2,768	3,905±299	$32,240	$136,100	$828	55.6%

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

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

Jackson County's rank among Illinois's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	27th of 102
Growth 2020-2025	35th of 102
Residents per square mile	26th of 102
Median household income	100th of 102
Median home value	48th of 102
Median gross rent	70th of 102
Poverty rate	2nd of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	11th of 102
Median age	101st 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 Jackson 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.