Aurora, Illinois Population 2023

177,108

Aurora is a city located in DuPage County, Kane County, Kendall County, and Will County Illinois. With a 2023 population of 177,108, it is the 2nd largest city in Illinois and the 149th largest city in the United States.Aurora is currently declining at a rate of -0.6% annually and its population has decreased by -1.8% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 180,355 in 2020. Spanning over 46 miles, Aurora has a population density of 3,935 people per square mile.

The average household income in Aurora is $94,667 with a poverty rate of 13.6%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Aurora is 34.4 years, 32.9 years for males, and 35.7 years for females.

Aurora is a city in Illinois that is located outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. The city stretches across four counties: DuPage, Kendall, Kane and Will. The city in the early 2000s was ranked as one of the fastest-growing in the US.

Aurora Population Growth

Throughout the years, Aurora has seen steady population growth. Its population from 1850 to 1860 grew by over 400%. While this was the highest recorded rate, the city has seen continuous growth through every 10-year census. The city hit the 100,000 milestone during the 1990s before almost doubling by the time of the 2010 census. Since the last census, the city has seen a population growth of 1.6%. Based on its historical growth as well as the new developments springing up in and around the city, it’s almost certain that Aurora will continue to exhibit steady growth to hit its next population milestone.

Aurora’s history dates back to 1834 when it was first settled. It was not officially incorporated until 1845 when it was designated as a village. In 1857, Aurora was incorporated as a city. Aurora was initially divided into two parts: East Aurora and West Aurora. Upon its incorporation in 1857, the two regions merged to create one city. The city’s industry was based around factories and the railroad, which was one of the largest employers until the 1960s. It was because of the heavy industries in the city that lured in immigrants from all over Europe, including but not limited to German, French and Italian inhabitants.

The city has always been one that has been progressive in many different areas including women, education, and religion. Also notable is that Aurora was one of the first US cities to deploy an electric street light system in the 1880s. This earned Aurora the nickname, “City of Lights.”

The city’s economy was based around manufacturing until the railroad shops closed, which led to the closure and relocation of other factories. This, in turn, led to an unemployment rate that climbed to 16% during the 1980s. Further development of the city also was a contributing factor to the decline of other areas of the city, which in turn led to heightened crime rates and gang violence. One good thing that did come out of this dark period was that the city was becoming very ethnically and culturally diverse. During the late 1980s, the city began to make a comeback. More businesses opened and development spread following the construction of the Hollywood Casino in the early 1990s. Development continued through the 1990s, especially in rural areas, and the population of Aurora continued to grow.

Today, the city is thriving and has a very diverse population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The downtown area is being revitalized while other new developments continue to emerge throughout the city and its outskirts to accommodate future growth.

Aurora Demographics

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

  • White: 56.37%
  • Other race: 14.71%
  • Black or African American: 10.49%
  • Asian: 9.27%
  • Two or more races: 8.3%
  • Native American: 0.61%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.26%
The current population of Aurora, Illinois is 177,108 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 180,355.

Aurora, Illinois Population 2023

Population by Race

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White

Other race

Black or African American

Asian

Two or more races

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Aurora Population by Race

Aurora Population Pyramid 2023

Aurora Median Age

34.4

Total

32.9

Male

35.7

Female

Aurora Adults

There are 143,200 adults, (19,621 of whom are seniors) in Aurora.

Aurora Age Dependency

61.3

Age Dependency Ratio

15.9

Old Age Dependency Ratio

45.4

Child Dependency Ratio

Aurora Sex Ratio

Female100,33550.34%
Male98,99149.66%

Aurora Population by Age

Aurora Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.56

Average Family Size

3.03

Average Household Size

65.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Aurora Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Aurora Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Aurora Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 83.47%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 58.1%.

Aurora Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$40,462

Average Earnings

$48,556

Average Male

$32,693

Average Female

Aurora Earnings by Educational Attainment

Aurora Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Aurora Language

54.65% of Aurora residents speak only English, while 45.35% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 34.77% of the population.

Aurora Language

Aurora Poverty by Race

rate

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13.6%

Overall Poverty Rate

8.83%

Male Poverty Rate

12.37%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Aurora

The race most likely to be in poverty in Aurora is Other, with 22.54% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Aurora is Native, with 6.58% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.39%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.43%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.25%.

Aurora Poverty

rate

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Aurora Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Aurora Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Aurora Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Aurora Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

48.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.2%

Male Marriage Rate

47.6%

Female Marriage Rate

Aurora Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Aurora 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.

Aurora Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Aurora Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

5,524

Number of Veterans

5,145

Male Veterans

379

Female Veterans

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Aurora Veterans by War

count

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Aurora Veterans by Age

count

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Aurora Veterans by Race

Aurora Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.05%

Veteran Poverty Rate

22.16%

Veteran Disability Rate

Aurora Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

72.2%

Labor Force Participation

67.8%

Employment Rate

6%

Unemployment Rate

Aurora Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Aurora Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Aurora 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

63.87%

Born in Aurora

82.24%

Native Born

28.28%

Foreign Born

15.86%

Non Citizen

12.43%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

82.24% of Aurora residents were born in the United States, with 63.87% having been born in Illinois. 15.86% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Aurora Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change
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Aurora Population by Year