Menard County, Illinois

IL · FIPS 17129 Republican

Located in Illinois, Menard County has a population of 12,095 residents and a median age of 42.8 years, making it the #2,346 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 10.1%. The median home value is $185,500, and the median household income is $82,176, which is 9% above the national median.

12,095
Population
#2,346 of 3,222
$82,176
Median Income
+9.4% #503 of 3,222
42.8 years
Median Age
+10.0% #1,262 of 3,222
10.1%
Poverty Rate
-19.7% #814 of 3,222

Demographics

Menard County has a population of 12,095, making it the #2,346 most populous county in the US. The median age is 42.8 years, which is 10.0% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Menard County is $82,176, ranking #503 out of 3,222 counties — 9.4% above the national median. The poverty rate is 10.1% and unemployment stands at 3.5%.

Income#503
$82,176
+9.4%
vs nation
84th percentile
Per Capita#677
$41,446
+0.4%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poverty#814
10.1%
-19.7%
vs nation
75th percentile
Unemployment#995
3.5%
-33.7%
vs nation
69th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Menard County is $185,500 (-34.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $885/mo and the homeownership rate is 79.5%.

Home Value#1,566
$185,500
-34.2%
vs nation
51th percentile
Rent#1,517
$885
-23.9%
vs nation
53th percentile
Homeownership#719
79.5%
+23.4%
vs nation
78th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Menard County, 28.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 16.0% below the national average, ranking #902 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
28.3% −16.0% vs nation
Rank #902 of 3,222
72th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Menard County is 78.3 years. 16.2% of adults report poor or fair health and 4.8% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#564
78.3
+4.2%
vs nation
82th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#848
16.2%
-17.2%
vs nation
73th percentile
Diabetes#564
9.1%
-18.3%
vs nation
82th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,316
36.6%
-1.9%
vs nation
58th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,109
5.4
-3.8%
vs nation
65th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#980
4.1
-8.3%
vs nation
69th percentile
Uninsured Rate#146
4.8%
-53.8%
vs nation
95th percentile
Physical Inactivity#553
21.6%
-18.1%
vs nation
82th percentile
Food Insecurity#544
11.1%
-22.9%
vs nation
83th percentile

Substance Use

16.8% of adults in Menard County smoke , 35.3% are obese , and 22.6% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 27.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,209
16.8%
-6.4%
vs nation
62th percentile
Adult Obesity#783
35.3%
-6.9%
vs nation
75th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,543
22.6%
+13.7%
vs nation
19th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,021
27.4
-15.4%
vs nation
52th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 27.3 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 28.0 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#2,219
27.3
+38.3%
vs nation
13th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,201
16.4
-8.0%
vs nation
51th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,281
28.0
+38.5%
vs nation
19th percentile

Families & Children

13.4% of children in Menard County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 10.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#498
10.8
-50.5%
vs nation
83th percentile
Child Poverty#836
13.4%
-29.4%
vs nation
73th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Menard County is 73.1%. The mean commute time is 28.4 min, which is 3.1% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
73.1% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
28.4 min +3.1% vs nation
Rank #1,172 of 3,222
64th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Menard County voted Republican with a margin of 41.4%. The vote was 28.6% Dem / 70% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.0 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +41.4%
28.6% 70%
Dem 6,423 votes Rep
2020 REP +39.4%
29.1% 68.5%
Dem 6,954 votes Rep
2016 REP +37.8%
28.1% 65.9%
Dem 6,423 votes Rep
2012 REP +30.1%
34.1% 64.2%
Dem 6,142 votes Rep
2008 REP +14.9%
41.9% 56.8%
Dem 6,464 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Menard County, Illinois

Menard County, Illinois has a total population of 12,095, making it the 2,346th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Menard County is 42.8 years, which is 10.0% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Menard County is $82,176, which ranks #503 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 9.4% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 10.1%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.5%.

The median home value in Menard County is $185,500, 34.2% below the national median. Renters in Menard County pay a median gross rent of $885 per month. The homeownership rate is 79.5%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Menard County, 28.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 16.0% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 97.8% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 28.4 min.

Menard County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 94.8% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (1.7%).

All data for Menard County, Illinois comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.