The area of Illinois was part of the original territory of the United States, being part of lands ceded by four states to the United States and designated in 1787 as the "Territory northwest of the River Ohio." Illinois Territory was organized on February 3, 1809, from the western part of Indiana Territory, and included all of present-day Illinois, most of Wisconsin, the western part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northeastern Minnesota.

Although the territory had not yet been legally established, census data for Illinois are available beginning with the 1800 census. The 1810 population is for the entire area of the Illinois Territory, including territory not in the present state. For an explanation of the revision to the 1800 population of Illinois, see Richard L. Forstall, Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1996, page 48.

Data for the legally established state of Illinois are available beginning with the 1820 census.

Key Stats

From Census.gov / Data:

Data Tools and Apps. Find information using interactive applications (including the following five) to get statistics from multiple surveys.

Data Tool: My Community Explorer. This tool combines select demographic, business and resilience data to help users identify potentially underserved areas of their state, county and community. Step 1: Select Illinois.

Data Tool: My Congressional District. Access selected statistics about your congressional district collected through the American Community Survey (ACS) and County Business Patterns (CBP). Illinois selected. You can select a district.

Data Tool: My Tribal Area. Access selected ACS statistics about the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population. Illinois selected but there are no tribal areas in this state.

Data Tool: QuickFacts. QuickFacts provides frequently requested Census Bureau information at the national, state, county and city level. Dashboard for Illinois is shown below. Click the tab “TABLE 6” to compare the United States; Illinois; Chicago city, Illinois; Aurora city, Illinois; Joliet city, Illinois; Springfield city, Illinois (capital).

Note: The dashboard above is cropped on the bottom. Click on the image for the full dashboard.

More Stats

From data.census.gov:

Source: Selected Monthly State Tax Collections.

Monthly Comparisons for Selected State Tax Collections, click on Illinois in map

Source: 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates

Table DP05, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, United States and Illinois

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (Annual Estimates of the Resident Population)

State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2022

Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (NST-EST2022-POP) find Illinois [< 1.0 MB]

County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2022

Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties in Illinois: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (CO-EST2022-POP-17) [< 1.0 MB]

City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022

Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Illinois: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022 (SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-17) [< 1.0 MB]

Source: 2018 - 2021 Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM)

Table AM1831BASIC01, Annual Survey of Manufactures: Summary Statistics for Industry Groups and Industries in the U.S.: 2018 - 2021, showing manufacturing in Illinois

Source: 1978-2021 Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS)

Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2021, for Illinois

Source: 2021 County Business Patterns (CBP)

Census Interactive Gallery: County Business Patterns by Industry: 2021 (Select Illinois and click “View state” for country level data.)

Table CB2100CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, Including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States and Selected Geographies: 2021, showing all two-digit NAICS codes for Illinois

Source: 2020 Annual Business Survey (ABS) Program

Table AB2000CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2020, showing Illinois

Source: 2020 Nonemployer Statistics (NES)

Table NS2000NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics by Legal Form of Organization and Receipts Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020, showing all two-digit NAICS codes for Illinois

Source: Business Formation Statistics (BFS)

Interactive visualization: Annual Business Applications by State and County (Scroll down, then hover and click on Illinois.)

Interactive visualizations: Business Formation Statistics (BFS), U.S. Total and By State (Select Illinois on Monthly Business Applications by State – shown below – and on Monthly Business Formations by State.)

Business Formation Statistics - Illinois

Note: Click on the image above to go to the Business Formation Statistics data page. For the Illinois graphic, scroll down to “Interactive Graphs.” Click on the icon for “Monthly Business Applications by State (BA)” and select “Illinois” in the upper-right drop-down area.

From Census Business Builder (CBB):

Dashboard: Illinois

Business Profile, Custom Industries - Illinois

From Business and Economy > International Trade Data:

State and Metropolitan Area Trade Data

USA Trade Online, the Official Source of Trade Statistics

Note: After you create an account, you can choose between State Export Data (Origin of Movement) or State Import Data (State of Destination) by Harmonized System (HS) or NAICS. More information is available in the Quick Start Guide.

Source: Monthly State Retail Sales.

Interactive visualization: Monthly State Retail Sales (Hover and click on Illinois.)

From the State Data Center (SDC) Program:

Illinois

From the Library / America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers:

State Profiles: 2020 Census, State Visualizations of Key Demographic Trends From the 2020 Census

STATE PROFILES: Illinois: 2020 Census

From Census.gov / History:

Montgomery Ward and the Shop-At-Home Catalog (August 2022)

1871 Great Chicago Fire (October 2021)

Prohibition (January 2020)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (December 2019)

1893 Chicago World's Fair (May 2018)

From the Statistics in Schools (SIS) program:

State Facts for Students, select Illinois

Note: The Illinois page is cropped on the bottom. Click on the image above to go to the “State Facts for Students” main page. Use the drop down to select “Illinois” or click “IL” on the map for the full page for Illinois.

Source: 2017 Economic Census.