Waukegan, Illinois Population 2024

87,149

Waukegan Demographics

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

  • White: 35.13%
  • Other race: 20.7%
  • Black or African American: 18.16%
  • Two or more races: 17.56%
  • Asian: 7.24%
  • Native American: 1.18%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%
Land Area (mi²)
24.2 sq mi
Density (mi²)
3,598.60/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-2.21% (-1,970)
The current population of Waukegan, Illinois is 87,149 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 89,119.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White31,42035.13%
Other race18,51420.7%
Black or African American16,24418.16%
Two or more races15,70317.56%
Asian6,4777.24%
Native American1,0531.18%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander240.03%

White

Other race

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Waukegan Population by Race

Waukegan Population Pyramid 2024

Waukegan Median Age

34.5

Total

34.3

Male

34.7

Female

Waukegan Adults

There are 67,115 adults, (10,127 of whom are seniors) in Waukegan.

Waukegan Age Dependency

56.9

Age Dependency Ratio

17.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

39.2

Child Dependency Ratio

Waukegan Sex Ratio

Female44,38549.63%
Male45,05050.37%

Waukegan Population by Age

Waukegan Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All31,1952.848.951.1
Married13,3293.6565.734.3
Non Family10,2311.1734.665.4
Female5,6303.634.865.2
Male2,0053.2749.850.2

3.48

Average Family Size

2.8

Average Household Size

48.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Waukegan Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade5,4589.58%
Associates Degree3,3975.97%
Bachelors Degree7,95313.97%
Graduate Degree4,2677.49%
High School Graduate17,45030.64%
Less Than 9th Grade7,26912.76%
Some College11,15419.59%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Waukegan Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Waukegan Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Hispanic26,18115,9981,844
White13,67312,7415,070
Black10,9499,8652,050
Other Race10,6316,096903
2+ Races9,0345,776695
Asian4,8134,5422,917
Native American67943931
Islander1100

The highest rate of high school graduation is among asian people with a rate of 94.37%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 60.61%.

Waukegan Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$56,960$60,926$53,971
Graduate Degree$72,304$71,191$78,578
High School Graduate$36,625$40,727$32,566
Less Than 9th Grade$28,486$33,446$21,864
Overall$39,182$43,590$35,153
Some College$39,479$46,466$35,603

$39,182

Average Earnings

$43,590

Average Male

$35,153

Average Female

Waukegan Earnings by Educational Attainment

Waukegan Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Waukegan Language

47.15% of Waukegan residents speak only English, while 52.85% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 44.73% of the population.

Waukegan Language

Waukegan Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic46,8627,29115.56%
Black15,6503,15920.19%
Other18,4792,49213.49%
Multiple15,5962,10813.52%
White16,4801,76210.69%
Asian6,4324366.78%
Native1,02714013.63%

15%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.24%

Male Poverty Rate

16.75%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Waukegan

The race most likely to be in poverty in Waukegan is Black, with 20.19% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Waukegan is Asian, with 6.78% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.61%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.76%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 23.39%.

Waukegan Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade17.44%
High School13.1%
Some College11%
Bachelors or Greater6.9%

Waukegan Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed25.35%
Male Unemployed21.91%
Female Employed8.09%
Male Employed7.18%

Waukegan Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Waukegan Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$76,143$96,357
Households$66,077$83,964
Married Families$89,906$-999,999,999
Non Families$39,608$50,712

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Waukegan Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

42.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

43.1%

Male Marriage Rate

42.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Waukegan Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Waukegan Marriage

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

Waukegan Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Waukegan Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,087

Number of Veterans

2,839

Male Veterans

248

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
First Gulf War944
Vietnam870
Second Gulf War640
Korea119
World War II42

Waukegan Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 54901
55 to 64797
65 to 74698
75+510
18 to 34181

Waukegan Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,5926.7%
Black8306.66%
Hispanic5271.63%
Asian3787.37%
Other Race1761.34%
2+ Races1020.9%
Native American91.23%

Waukegan Veterans by Race

Waukegan Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.87%

Veteran Poverty Rate

21.4%

Veteran Disability Rate

Waukegan Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67%

Labor Force Participation

62.7%

Employment Rate

5.3%

Unemployment Rate

Waukegan Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Waukegan Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Waukegan 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

54.14%

Born in Waukegan

70.29%

Native Born

29.71%

Foreign Born

18.1%

Non Citizen

11.62%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

70.29% of Waukegan residents were born in the United States, with 54.14% having been born in Illinois. 18.1% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Waukegan Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202984,688-492-0.58%
202885,180-492-0.57%
202785,672-493-0.57%
202686,165-492-0.57%
202586,657-492-0.56%
202487,149-493-0.56%
202387,642-431-0.49%
202288,073-659-0.74%
202188,732-387-0.43%
202089,1192,9883.47%
201986,131-645-0.74%
201886,776-883-1.01%
201787,659-530-0.6%
201688,189-191-0.22%
201588,380-422-0.48%
201488,802-102-0.11%
201388,904940.11%
201288,810-193-0.22%
201189,003-169-0.19%
201089,17200%
200087,90118,50926.67%
199069,3921,7392.57%
198067,6532,5193.87%
197065,1349,41516.9%
196055,71916,77343.07%
195038,9464,70513.74%
194034,2417422.21%
193033,49914,27374.24%
192019,2263,15719.65%
191016,0696,64370.48%
19009,4264,51191.78%
18904,91590322.51%
18804,012-495-10.98%
18704,5071,07431.28%
18603,433-81,255-95.95%

Waukegan Population by Year