Ottawa, Illinois Population 2024

18,721

Ottawa Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Ottawa was:

  • White: 88.74%
  • Two or more races: 4.34%
  • Black or African American: 3.16%
  • Other race: 2.33%
  • Asian: 1.4%
  • Native American: 0.02%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.02%
Land Area (mi²)
14.9 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,256.90/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-0.65% (-122)
The current population of Ottawa, Illinois is 18,721 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 18,843.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White16,60288.74%
Two or more races8114.34%
Black or African American5913.16%
Other race4362.33%
Asian2621.4%
Native American30.02%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander30.02%

White

Two or more races

Black or African American

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Ottawa Population by Race

Ottawa Population Pyramid 2024

Ottawa Median Age

39.6

Total

38.4

Male

41.9

Female

Ottawa Adults

There are 14,262 adults, (3,040 of whom are seniors) in Ottawa.

Ottawa Age Dependency

66.7

Age Dependency Ratio

27.1

Old Age Dependency Ratio

39.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Ottawa Sex Ratio

Female9,81952.49%
Male8,88947.51%

Ottawa Population by Age

Ottawa Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All7,6342.468.631.4
Non Family3,1371.2255.444.6
Married3,0343.1490.79.3
Female1,1203.2644.955.1
Male3433.870.829.2

3.04

Average Family Size

2.4

Average Household Size

68.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Ottawa Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade8056.18%
Associates Degree1,1969.18%
Bachelors Degree1,77013.58%
Graduate Degree8986.89%
High School Graduate4,47234.32%
Less Than 9th Grade3072.36%
Some College3,58427.5%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Ottawa Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Ottawa Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White11,09810,3662,398
Hispanic1,08277696
2+ Races395366108
Black3663130
Other Race3132691
Asian18318372
Islander330
Native American300

The highest rate of high school graduation is among asian people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 39.34%.

Ottawa Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$43,688$56,036$27,708
Graduate Degree$78,621$103,750$69,286
High School Graduate$38,068$46,684$30,025
Less Than 9th Grade$23,750$25,954$20,114
Overall$41,665$56,187$32,865
Some College$42,690$59,517$35,019

$41,665

Average Earnings

$56,187

Average Male

$32,865

Average Female

Ottawa Earnings by Educational Attainment

Ottawa Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Ottawa Language

93.05% of Ottawa residents speak only English, while 6.95% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.16% of the population.

Ottawa Language

Ottawa Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White14,8662,34515.77%
Hispanic1,95865233.3%
Multiple81119624.17%
Other43616237.16%
Asian2628030.53%
Black497479.46%

18.25%

Overall Poverty Rate

16.97%

Male Poverty Rate

19.42%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Ottawa

The race most likely to be in poverty in Ottawa is Other, with 37.16% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Ottawa is Black, with 9.46% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.82%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.41%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 27.65%.

Ottawa Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade35.69%
Some College14.94%
High School14.72%
Bachelors or Greater7.21%

Ottawa Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed53.53%
Male Unemployed31.25%
Female Employed8.64%
Male Employed8.03%

Ottawa Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Ottawa Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$79,792$96,332
Households$67,940$79,992
Married Families$98,257$-999,999,999
Non Families$38,073$52,863

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Ottawa Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

43.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

45.6%

Male Marriage Rate

41.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Ottawa Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Ottawa Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Ottawa Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Ottawa Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

996

Number of Veterans

914

Male Veterans

82

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam416
First Gulf War272
Second Gulf War56
Korea50
World War II12

Ottawa Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
55 to 64341
65 to 74257
75+186
35 to 54165
18 to 3447

Ottawa Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White9327.28%
Asian3414.17%
Hispanic231.94%
Black225.87%
Other Race82.23%

Ottawa Veterans by Race

Ottawa Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.99%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.59%

Veteran Disability Rate

Ottawa Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

64.4%

Labor Force Participation

60%

Employment Rate

6.8%

Unemployment Rate

Ottawa Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Ottawa Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Ottawa Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

80.29%

Born in Ottawa

96.66%

Native Born

3.34%

Foreign Born

1.94%

Non Citizen

1.4%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.66% of Ottawa residents were born in the United States, with 80.29% having been born in Illinois. 1.94% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Ottawa Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202918,570-30-0.16%
202818,600-30-0.16%
202718,630-31-0.17%
202618,661-30-0.16%
202518,691-30-0.16%
202418,721-31-0.17%
202318,752690.37%
202218,683-133-0.71%
202118,816-27-0.14%
202018,8437043.88%
201918,139-78-0.43%
201818,217-50-0.27%
201718,267-76-0.41%
201618,343-96-0.52%
201518,439-105-0.57%
201418,544-96-0.52%
201318,640-52-0.28%
201218,692-117-0.62%
201118,809-103-0.54%
201018,91200%
200018,3078564.91%
199017,451-715-3.94%
198018,166-550-2.94%
197018,716-692-3.57%
196019,4082,45114.45%
195016,9579525.95%
194016,0059116.04%
193015,0944,27839.55%
192010,8161,28113.43%
19109,535-1,053-9.95%
190010,5886036.04%
18909,9852,15127.46%
18807,834981.27%
18707,736-10,834-58.34%

Ottawa Population by Year