Richland County, Illinois

IL · FIPS 17159 Republican

Located in Illinois, Richland County has a population of 15,598 residents and a median age of 42.3 years, making it the #2,120 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 12.1%. The median home value is $112,000, and the median household income is $62,455, which is 17% below the national median.

15,598
Population
#2,120 of 3,222
$62,455
Median Income
-16.9% #1,851 of 3,222
42.3 years
Median Age
+8.7% #1,397 of 3,222
12.1%
Poverty Rate
-4.1% #1,293 of 3,222

Demographics

Richland County has a population of 15,598, making it the #2,120 most populous county in the US. The median age is 42.3 years, which is 8.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.6%
Native Born
1.4%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Richland County is $62,455, ranking #1,851 out of 3,222 counties — 16.9% below the national median. The poverty rate is 12.1% and unemployment stands at 3.1%.

Income#1,851
$62,455
-16.9%
vs nation
43th percentile
Per Capita#1,907
$33,126
-19.7%
vs nation
41th percentile
Poverty#1,293
12.1%
-4.1%
vs nation
60th percentile
Unemployment#750
3.1%
-41.0%
vs nation
77th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Richland County is $112,000 (-60.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $805/mo and the homeownership rate is 73.8%.

Home Value#2,815
$112,000
-60.3%
vs nation
13th percentile
Rent#2,061
$805
-30.8%
vs nation
36th percentile
Homeownership#1,749
73.8%
+14.5%
vs nation
46th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Richland County, 19.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 43.4% below the national average, ranking #2,168 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
19.1% −43.4% vs nation
Rank #2,168 of 3,222
33th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Richland County is 73.7 years. 16.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 6.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,039
73.7
-2.0%
vs nation
34th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#976
16.7%
-14.6%
vs nation
69th percentile
Diabetes#1,080
9.9%
-11.1%
vs nation
66th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,448
37.2%
-0.3%
vs nation
54th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,422
5.6
-1.3%
vs nation
55th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,631
4.5
0.0%
vs nation
48th percentile
Uninsured Rate#626
6.5%
-37.8%
vs nation
80th percentile
Physical Inactivity#680
22.3%
-15.5%
vs nation
78th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,460
13.9%
-3.5%
vs nation
54th percentile

Substance Use

15.7% of adults in Richland County smoke , 37.4% are obese , and 21.7% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#835
15.7%
-12.6%
vs nation
74th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,251
37.4%
-1.3%
vs nation
60th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,265
21.7%
+9.0%
vs nation
28th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 15.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 24.6 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#908
15.9
-19.3%
vs nation
65th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#695
12.7
-28.8%
vs nation
72th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,058
24.6
+21.4%
vs nation
27th percentile

Families & Children

17.1% of children in Richland County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 26.6 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,073
26.6
+21.8%
vs nation
31th percentile
Child Poverty#1,442
17.1%
-10.0%
vs nation
54th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Richland County is 67.5%. The mean commute time is 21.4 min, which is 22.5% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
67.5% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
21.4 min −22.5% vs nation
Rank #2,642 of 3,222
18th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Richland County voted Republican with a margin of 53.5%. The vote was 22.6% Dem / 76.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 0.7 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +53.5%
22.6% 76.1%
Dem 7,743 votes Rep
2020 REP +52.8%
22.7% 75.5%
Dem 8,063 votes Rep
2016 REP +54.5%
20.7% 75.2%
Dem 7,630 votes Rep
2012 REP +32.9%
32.4% 65.3%
Dem 7,274 votes Rep
2008 REP +15.0%
41.6% 56.6%
Dem 7,650 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Richland County, Illinois

Richland County, Illinois has a total population of 15,598, making it the 2,120th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Richland County is 42.3 years, which is 8.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Richland County is $62,455, which ranks #1,851 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 16.9% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 12.1%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.1%.

The median home value in Richland County is $112,000, 60.3% below the national median. Renters in Richland County pay a median gross rent of $805 per month. The homeownership rate is 73.8%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Richland County, 19.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 43.4% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.9% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 21.4 min.

Richland County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.4% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.0%).

All data for Richland 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.