Adams County Demographics

A map of Adams County's Population by Race

Adams County, Illinois has an estimated population of 64,754, a slight decrease from the 65,737 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.0% White, 4.1% Multiracial, 2.8% Black, 2.1% Hispanic, 0.7% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Adams County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Adams has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Illinois overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Adams County, that probability was 20.7% in 2020 and 18.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Adams County is ranked the 23rd most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Adams County was ranked the 23rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Adams County's White Population

58,307 residents of Adams County, or 90.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Adams County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Adams County ranks 50th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Adams County's population has increased from 88.8% to 90.0%.

Adams County is more White than neighboring Brown County (74.1% White), and Marion County (89% White). Adams County is less White than neighboring Hancock County (94% White), Pike County (94.7% White), and Lewis County (91.5% White).

Adams County's Black Population

1,826 residents of Adams County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Adams County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Adams County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's Black population has declined by an estimated 25.9%. Black residents' share of Adams County's population has decreased from 3.7% to 2.8%.

Adams County is more Black than neighboring Hancock County (0.7% Black), and Pike County (0.6% Black). Adams County is less Black than neighboring Brown County (17.8% Black), Marion County (4.2% Black), and Lewis County (3.9% Black).

Adams County's Asian Population

435 residents of Adams County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Adams County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Adams County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 13.0%. Asian residents' share of Adams County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Adams County is more Asian than neighboring Hancock County (0.4% Asian), Brown County (0% Asian), Pike County (0.3% Asian), and Lewis County (0.5% Asian). Adams County is less Asian than neighboring Marion County (0.8% Asian).

Adams County's Hispanic Population

1,350 residents of Adams County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Adams County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Adams County ranks 69th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Adams County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Adams County is more Hispanic than neighboring Marion County (2% Hispanic), and Lewis County (1.1% Hispanic). Adams County is less Hispanic than neighboring Hancock County (2.3% Hispanic), and Brown County (6.7% Hispanic).

Adams County's Native American/Other Population

176 residents of Adams County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Adams County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Adams County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 49.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Adams County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Adams County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Hancock County (0.2% Native American/Other), Brown County (0% Native American/Other), and Lewis County (0.1% Native American/Other). Adams County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Marion County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Pike County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Adams County's Multiracial Population

2,660 residents of Adams County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Adams County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Adams County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Adams County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 3.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Adams County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.1%.

Adams County is more Multiracial than neighboring Hancock County (2.3% Multiracial), Brown County (1.3% Multiracial), Marion County (3.5% Multiracial), Pike County (2% Multiracial), and Lewis County (2.9% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.