Census tract · DeKalb County

Census Tract 21, DeKalb County, Illinois

Census Tract 21, GEOID 17037002100, in DeKalb County, Illinois, mostly within Sandwich Township (93% of its census blocks). 2,404 residents in the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (±247); the 2020 Census counted 2,461.

Residents, 2020-2024

2,404

±247 (90% margin)
2020 Census count: 2,461

Median household income

$69,441

±$2,683 (90% margin)
DeKalb County: $70,724

Median home value

$248,400

±$20,961 (90% margin)
DeKalb County: $243,600

Median gross rent

$878

±$110 (90% margin)
DeKalb County: $1,049

Where is Census Tract 21?

Census Tract 21 is one of 23 census tracts in DeKalb County, Illinois. It covers 2.79 square miles of land, 881 residents per square mile in 2020. Its GEOID, 17037002100, names it uniquely (how tract numbers and GEOIDs work).

Places Census Tract 21 lies in (share of its 2020 census blocks)
PlaceShare of the tract
Sandwich Township93%
Sandwich82%
Somonauk Township7%
Census Tract 21 (marked with a dot) in DeKalb County, Illinois. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.
19208905.019617.01 21 2 mi
Census Tract 21 (shaded) and the tracts that border it, numbered. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundary file, 1:500,000. Dashed: tracts outside DeKalb County.

4 census tracts border Census Tract 21: Tract 19 ($99,844), Tract 20 ($83,064), Tract 8905.01 in Kendall County ($86,749) and Tract 9617.01 in LaSalle County ($103,819). The figure in brackets is each tract's median household income.

Whether a tract counts as low- or moderate-income for bank lending (the Community Reinvestment Act) is set by the FFIEC against its metro area's family income: look it up in the FFIEC census geocoder.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 block assignment files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Census Tract 21?

The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts Census Tract 21's population at 2,404 (±247) in 1,015 households; the 2020 Census counted 2,461 residents and 1,069 housing units.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 21Sandwich TownshipDeKalb CountyIllinois
Total population 2,404 ±247 7,529 100,703 12,694,798
Households 1,015 ±107 2,878 39,550 5,036,449
Average household size 2.34 ±0.16 2.55 2.42 2.46
Housing units 1,038 ±115 2,974 41,678 5,457,452

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Census Tract 21?

The median resident of Census Tract 21 is 42.5 years old; 23.8% are under 18 and 22.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 77.5%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 10.8%. 7.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin, education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure Tract 21Sandwich TownshipDeKalb CountyIllinois
Median age 42.5 ±4.7 39.5 32.7 39.0
Under 18 years 23.8% ±3.1 pts 25.0% 21.6% 21.8%
65 years and over 22.0% ±4.4 pts 21.1% 13.9% 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 10.8% ±6.2 pts 11.0% 14.5% 18.8%
White alone, not Hispanic 77.5% ±7.0 pts 81.3% 71.0% 58.1%
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic 1.1% ±1.6 pts 0.3% 6.8% 13.3%
Asian alone, not Hispanic 3.3% ±3.4 pts 1.0% 2.2% 5.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic 0.3% ±0.5 pts 0.1% 0.2% 0.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±1.5 pts 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Two or more races, not Hispanic 3.2% ±2.2 pts 5.0% 4.8% 3.4%
Some other race alone, not Hispanic 3.8% ±4.9 pts 1.2% 0.5% 0.4%
Born outside the United States 7.0% ±4.1 pts 5.5% 6.4% 14.7%
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) 12.9% ±6.3 pts 8.0% 12.0% 24.0%
Civilian veterans (age 18+) 5.1% ±2.2 pts 6.5% 5.2% 4.8%
With a disability 20.3% ±5.5 pts 15.6% 11.1% 12.1%
No health insurance coverage 5.5% ±2.6 pts 4.6% 5.1% 6.9%
High school graduate or higher (age 25+) 90.3% ±4.7 pts 92.7% 92.2% 90.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) 18.8% ±6.6 pts 19.6% 33.0% 37.8%
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) 7.5% ±4.6 pts 6.7% 13.3% 15.3%
Lived in the same house a year earlier 93.1% ±4.8 pts 93.5% 82.8% 88.9%

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 Census Tract 21 earn?

Half of the 1,015 households in Census Tract 21 earn less than $69,441 a year (±$2,683), against $70,724 across DeKalb County: 16th highest of the county's 23 tracts with a reliable estimate. 12.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 21Sandwich TownshipDeKalb CountyIllinois
Median household income $69,441 ±$2,683 $80,807 $70,724 $83,390
Mean household income $77,962 ±$8,554 $93,538 $90,834 $115,638
Per capita income $33,233 ±$3,597 $35,942 $36,298 $46,406
People below the poverty line 12.5% ±7.4 pts 10.1% 14.8% 11.8%
Children under 18 below the poverty line 8.2% ±11.3 pts 12.9% 17.3% 15.1%
Households receiving SNAP 21.1% ±6.4 pts 14.4% 14.7% 13.8%
Households with a computer 94.8% ±3.9 pts 96.2% 96.4% 95.2%
Households with a broadband subscription 92.7% ±4.9 pts 93.9% 92.7% 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 Census Tract 21?

Owners occupy 60.9% of Census Tract 21's occupied homes and renters 39.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $248,400 by its owner (±$20,961). The median renter pays $878 a month including utilities, and 46.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 21Sandwich TownshipDeKalb CountyIllinois
Median home value (owner-occupied) $248,400 ±$20,961 $258,700 $243,600 $263,300
Median gross rent $878 ±$110 $1,029 $1,049 $1,274
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent 46.1% ±15.6 pts 47.3% 46.3% 39.0%
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage $1,923 ±$188 $1,798 $1,866 $1,987
Owner-occupied homes 60.9% ±7.3 pts 75.6% 61.4% 67.1%
Renter-occupied homes 39.1% ±7.3 pts 24.4% 38.6% 32.9%
Housing units 1,038 ±115 2,974 41,678 5,457,452
Single-family detached homes 53.8% ±6.7 pts 71.9% 58.2% 58.2%
Mobile homes 15.8% ±5.6 pts 5.5% 2.1% 2.3%
Built 2020 or later 0.5% ±0.9 pts 0.4% 0.5% 0.7%
Built 2010 to 2019 1.3% ±1.7 pts 1.4% 4.0% 5.0%
Built 1939 or earlier 16.5% ±7.0 pts 19.4% 16.0% 20.2%
Households with no vehicle 13.8% ±5.8 pts 6.7% 6.4% 11.0%

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 do people in Census Tract 21 get to work?

79.6% of Census Tract 21's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 29.8 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 21Sandwich TownshipDeKalb CountyIllinois
In the labor force (age 16+) 57.1% ±7.4 pts 62.1% 68.4% 65.0%
Unemployment rate 6.1% ±6.0 pts 3.1% 6.8% 5.8%
Drove alone to work 79.6% ±9.0 pts 81.5% 74.8% 65.9%
Carpooled 6.6% ±4.4 pts 3.9% 9.6% 7.8%
Public transportation 0.0% ±3.5 pts 0.0% 0.8% 5.8%
Walked 2.1% ±2.2 pts 2.2% 4.2% 2.8%
Worked from home 11.7% ±8.1 pts 11.5% 9.3% 15.9%
Mean travel time to work 29.8 min ±3.1 27.2 min 26.7 min 27.8 min

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

How does Census Tract 21 compare with the other tracts in DeKalb County?

Among DeKalb County's tracts with a reliable estimate, Census Tract 21 ranks as shown below (1 = highest).

Census Tract 21's rank among the tracts of DeKalb County
MeasureIn DeKalb County
Population21st of 23
Residents per square mile10th of 23
Median household income16th of 23
Per capita income17th of 23
Median home value10th of 20
Median gross rent23rd of 23
Poverty rate6th of 16
Bachelor's degree or higher20th of 23
Median age3rd of 23
Owner-occupied share17th of 21

The tracts next to it on DeKalb County's income ladder

Median household income, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractRankMedian household incomeResidents
Tract 2013th$83,064±$6,1304,739
Tract 10.0414th$76,250±$31,742 · within the margin of this tract1,849
Tract 615th$73,450±$11,642 · within the margin of this tract5,963
Tract 2116th$69,441±$2,6832,404
Tract 517th$67,250±$25,833 · within the margin of this tract3,884
Tract 1518th$57,122±$9,3224,042
Tract 819th$51,782±$11,2766,318

"Within the margin": the two incomes differ by less than their combined 90% margins, so the survey cannot say which is higher and the ranks between them are not firm.

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Census Tract 21?

3 of the 18 figures for Census Tract 21 on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

A census tract's figures rest on a few hundred sampled households over five years, so its margins are wider than a city's. Two tracts differ only when the gap between them is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins). How to read a margin of error.

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

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections