ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Washington County, Illinois

FIPS 17189 · Population 13,627
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$78,224
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$1.3B
GDP
23.5%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 13,627 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$78,224
Per Capita
$40,841
Mean Household
$93,788
Poverty Rate
7.5% approx.
Median Income Comparison
Washington County$78,224
Illinois$83,390
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 21.6% (2,948 residents) 55-64: 15.2% (2,069 residents) 35-54: 24.5% (3,343 residents) 18-34: 17.8% (2,431 residents) Under 18: 20.8% (2,836 residents) 44 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.8%
18-34 · 17.8%
35-54 · 24.5%
55-64 · 15.2%
65+ · 21.6%
Race & Ethnicity
White95.2%
Black or African American1.5%
Asian0.2%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)1.6%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.3 pts
23.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 12.2 pts
8.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 5.8 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
13,627
Population
7,087
Labor Force
Employed
6,773
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 12.2 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
  • Aging population: Median age of 44 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$1.3B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Washington County, Illinois, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Wholesale Trade
749 30.9%
$68,041
2Retail Trade
716 29.5%
$44,840
3Health Care and Social Assistance
455 18.7%
$51,434
4Construction
345 14.2%
$73,170
5Finance and Insurance
138 5.7%
$74,797
6Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
12 0.5%
$44,111
7Educational Services
12 0.5%
$11,476
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Wholesale Trade employs 749 workers (30.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $68,041.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $1.3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $74,797 while Educational Services averages $11,476, a 6.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
5.94x
520
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
4.62x
253
Crop Production
3.98x
84
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
3.74x
177
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
2.11x
172
1.96x
1,775

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,775
Cluster Employment
1.96x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
5.94x 520
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
4.62x 253
Crop Production
3.98x 84
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
3.74x 177
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
2.11x 172
1.96x 1,775

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.17x
Ambulatory Health Care Services
60 employed
0.42x
Food and Beverage Retailers
55 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods concentrates at 5.94x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
  • Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 3 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Washington County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$155,700
Median Home Value vs 2019
$818
Rent/Mo
84.1%
Owner-Occ
9.7%
Vacancy
2.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$632/mo
1 Bedroom
$836/mo
2 Bedroom
$916/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,242/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,268/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,956/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.0x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • High home ownership: 84.1% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,956/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
7,843
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
84.1%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 65.7% of working-age population (18-64) 66% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
23.5%
HS Diploma+
92.9%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
57,734/yr
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 15,945/yr
Chamberlain University-Illinois 11,893/yr
DeVry University-Illinois 9,399/yr
University of Illinois Chicago 8,607/yr
Loyola University Chicago 5,976/yr
DePaul University 5,914/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
32.3%
Service
16.2%
Sales & Office
17%
Construction / Maint.
16.2%
Production / Transport
18.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 6,773 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 26.4% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 37,237 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Washington County shows strong potential for merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods attraction, with a 5.94x concentration and 520 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.4% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, building material and garden supply retailers, and crop production creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Washington County, Illinois, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Washington County, Illinois?

13,627 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Washington County, Illinois?

$78,224 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Washington County, Illinois?

3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Washington County, Illinois?

$1.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).