East St. Louis, IL Demographics

A map of East St. Louis's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Black	16,670	17,536	92.6%	94.9%
Multiracial	501	442	2.8%	2.4%
White	398	222	2.2%	1.2%
Hispanic	219	169	1.2%	0.9%
Asian	192	15	1.1%	0.1%
Native American/Other	19	85	0.1%	0.5%

East St. Louis, Illinois has an estimated population of 17,999, a slight decrease from the 18,469 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.6% Black, 2.8% Multiracial, 2.2% White, 1.2% Hispanic, 1.1% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of East St. Louis, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

East St. Louis has become more 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 East St. Louis, that probability was 9.8% in 2020 and 14.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

East St. Louis is ranked the 143rd most populous place in Illinois, out of 1,461 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). East St. Louis was ranked the 138th most populous place in the 2020 Census.

East St. Louis's White Population

398 residents of East St. Louis, or 2.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in East St. Louis is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. East St. Louis ranks 1465th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's White population has grown by an estimated 79.3%. White residents' share of East St. Louis's population has increased from 1.2% to 2.2%.

East St. Louis is more White than neighboring Brooklyn (0% White). East St. Louis is less White than neighboring Washington Park (10.1% White), Sauget (99.3% White), Fairmont City (16.7% White), and Venice (4.9% White).

East St. Louis's Black Population

16,670 residents of East St. Louis, or 92.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in East St. Louis is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. East St. Louis ranks 1st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's Black population has declined by an estimated 4.9%. Black residents' share of East St. Louis's population has decreased from 94.9% to 92.6%.

East St. Louis is more Black than neighboring Washington Park (74.4% Black), Sauget (0% Black), Fairmont City (2.1% Black), and Venice (81.3% Black). East St. Louis is less Black than neighboring Brooklyn (94.1% Black).

East St. Louis's Asian Population

192 residents of East St. Louis, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in East St. Louis is slightly lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. East St. Louis ranks 1018th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's Asian population has grown by an estimated 1180.0%. Asian residents' share of East St. Louis's population has increased from 0.1% to 1.1%.

East St. Louis is more Asian than neighboring Washington Park (0% Asian), Sauget (0% Asian), Fairmont City (0% Asian), Brooklyn (0% Asian), and Venice (0% Asian).

East St. Louis's Hispanic Population

219 residents of East St. Louis, or 1.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in East St. Louis is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. East St. Louis ranks 1270th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 29.6%. Hispanic residents' share of East St. Louis's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.2%.

East St. Louis is more Hispanic than neighboring Sauget (0% Hispanic). East St. Louis is less Hispanic than neighboring Washington Park (8.4% Hispanic), Fairmont City (75.4% Hispanic), Brooklyn (1.8% Hispanic), and Venice (2% Hispanic).

East St. Louis's Native American/Other Population

19 residents of East St. Louis, or 0.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in East St. Louis is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. East St. Louis ranks 598th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 77.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of East St. Louis's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

East St. Louis is more Native American/Other than neighboring Washington Park (0% Native American/Other), and Sauget (0% Native American/Other). East St. Louis is less Native American/Other than neighboring Fairmont City (4.1% Native American/Other), Brooklyn (2.3% Native American/Other), and Venice (1.3% Native American/Other).

East St. Louis's Multiracial Population

501 residents of East St. Louis, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in East St. Louis is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. East St. Louis ranks 1144th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, East St. Louis's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 13.3%. Multiracial residents' share of East St. Louis's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

East St. Louis is more Multiracial than neighboring Sauget (0.7% Multiracial), Fairmont City (1.7% Multiracial), and Brooklyn (1.8% Multiracial). East St. Louis is less Multiracial than neighboring Washington Park (7.1% Multiracial), and Venice (10.5% 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.