Charleston, Illinois Population 2024

16,956

Charleston Demographics

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

  • White: 86.51%
  • Black or African American: 7.3%
  • Two or more races: 3.23%
  • Asian: 1.58%
  • Other race: 1.36%
  • Native American: 0.03%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
Land Area (mi²)
8.9 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,907.40/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-1.67% (-288)
The current population of Charleston, Illinois is 16,956 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 17,244.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White15,39486.51%
Black or African American1,2997.3%
Two or more races5743.23%
Asian2811.58%
Other race2421.36%
Native American50.03%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Charleston Population by Race

Charleston Population Pyramid 2024

Charleston Median Age

29.4

Total

29.9

Male

29.2

Female

Charleston Adults

There are 15,612 adults, (2,490 of whom are seniors) in Charleston.

Charleston Age Dependency

35.6

Age Dependency Ratio

19

Old Age Dependency Ratio

16.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Charleston Sex Ratio

Female9,09051.08%
Male8,70548.92%

Charleston Population by Age

Charleston Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All7,4841.9747.452.6
Non Family3,8251.327.272.8
Married2,6872.6975.424.6
Female6772.6735.764.3
Male2952.528020

2.53

Average Family Size

1.97

Average Household Size

47.4%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Charleston Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade4744.74%
Associates Degree8558.56%
Bachelors Degree1,74917.5%
Graduate Degree1,55815.59%
High School Graduate2,80828.1%
Less Than 9th Grade2632.63%
Some College2,28522.87%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Charleston Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Charleston Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White9,0978,4893,107
Black26821549
2+ Races21820439
Hispanic18814616
Other Race13813851
Asian1048657
Native American500

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

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 54.81%.

Charleston Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$47,716$69,891$29,764
Graduate Degree$57,474$77,750$56,847
High School Graduate$24,583$21,671$26,197
Less Than 9th Grade$28,125$28,940$0
Overall$34,490$35,309$33,935
Some College$30,017$25,247$33,141

$34,490

Average Earnings

$35,309

Average Male

$33,935

Average Female

Charleston Earnings by Educational Attainment

Charleston Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Charleston Language

95.14% of Charleston residents speak only English, while 4.86% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 1.53% of the population.

Charleston Language

Charleston Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White13,2513,28424.78%
Black47626856.3%
Multiple52422342.56%
Hispanic46713729.34%
Other1846133.15%
Asian2022110.4%
Native55100%

26.53%

Overall Poverty Rate

26.91%

Male Poverty Rate

26.15%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Charleston

The race most likely to be in poverty in Charleston is Native, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Charleston is Asian, with 10.4% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 6.07%. Among those working part-time, it was 43.65%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 29.86%.

Charleston Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade35.04%
High School28.17%
Some College20.41%
Bachelors or Greater5.99%

Charleston Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed74.27%
Male Unemployed42.97%
Male Employed24.32%
Female Employed18.02%

Charleston Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Charleston Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$60,308$80,683
Households$47,533$65,198
Married Families$76,493$-999,999,999
Non Families$31,351$47,475

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Charleston Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

34.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

35.6%

Male Marriage Rate

33.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Charleston Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Charleston Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Charleston Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Charleston Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

829

Number of Veterans

786

Male Veterans

43

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Second Gulf War215
Vietnam189
First Gulf War118
Korea35
World War II21

Charleston Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
75+265
65 to 74153
35 to 54150
55 to 64146
18 to 34115

Charleston Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White7305.37%
2+ Races6321.88%
Black282.34%
Asian83.49%
Hispanic81.44%

Charleston Veterans by Race

Charleston Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

8.24%

Veteran Poverty Rate

27.52%

Veteran Disability Rate

Charleston Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.4%

Labor Force Participation

61.7%

Employment Rate

6.5%

Unemployment Rate

Charleston Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Charleston Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Charleston 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

76.3%

Born in Charleston

96.45%

Native Born

3.55%

Foreign Born

1.31%

Non Citizen

2.23%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.45% of Charleston residents were born in the United States, with 76.3% having been born in Illinois. 1.31% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Charleston Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202916,596-72-0.43%
202816,668-72-0.43%
202716,740-72-0.43%
202616,812-72-0.43%
202516,884-72-0.42%
202416,956-72-0.42%
202317,028-96-0.56%
202217,124-127-0.74%
202117,25170.04%
202017,244-2,932-14.53%
201920,176-62-0.31%
201820,238-166-0.81%
201720,404-151-0.73%
201620,555-256-1.23%
201520,811-264-1.25%
201421,075-307-1.44%
201321,382-260-1.2%
201221,642-202-0.92%
201121,844-12-0.05%
201021,85600%
200021,0396413.14%
199020,3981,0435.39%
198019,3552,93417.87%
197016,4216,95273.42%
19609,4693053.33%
19509,16496711.8%
19408,1971852.31%
19308,0121,39721.12%
19206,61573112.42%
19105,8843967.22%
19005,4881,35332.72%
18904,1351,26844.23%
18802,867180.63%
18702,849-13,747-82.83%

Charleston Population by Year