Effingham County Demographics

A map of Effingham County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	32,525	32,361	94.2%	93.3%
Hispanic	955	872	2.8%	2.5%
Multiracial	568	951	1.6%	2.7%
Asian	287	246	0.8%	0.7%
Black	101	151	0.3%	0.4%
Native American/Other	86	87	0.2%	0.3%

Effingham County, Illinois has an estimated population of 34,522, a less than 1% change from the 34,668 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.2% White, 2.8% Hispanic, 1.6% Multiracial, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% Black, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Effingham County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Effingham 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 Effingham County, that probability was 12.7% in 2020 and 11.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Effingham County is ranked the 41st most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Effingham County was ranked the 41st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Effingham County's White Population

32,525 residents of Effingham County, or 94.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Effingham County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Effingham County ranks 27th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Effingham County's population has increased from 93.3% to 94.2%.

Effingham County is more White than neighboring Fayette County (88.3% White). Effingham County is less White than neighboring Clay County (94.8% White), Shelby County (96% White), Cumberland County (95% White), and Jasper County (96.8% White).

Effingham County's Black Population

101 residents of Effingham County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Effingham County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Effingham County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's Black population has declined by an estimated 33.1%. Black residents' share of Effingham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Effingham County is more Black than neighboring Shelby County (0.2% Black), Cumberland County (0.2% Black), and Jasper County (0.1% Black). Effingham County is less Black than neighboring Fayette County (3.2% Black).

Effingham County's Asian Population

287 residents of Effingham County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Effingham County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Effingham County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 16.7%. Asian residents' share of Effingham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Effingham County is more Asian than neighboring Clay County (0.2% Asian), Shelby County (0.2% Asian), Cumberland County (0% Asian), Fayette County (0.2% Asian), and Jasper County (0.1% Asian).

Effingham County's Hispanic Population

955 residents of Effingham County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Effingham County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Effingham County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Effingham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Effingham County is more Hispanic than neighboring Clay County (2% Hispanic), Shelby County (1.2% Hispanic), Cumberland County (0.4% Hispanic), and Jasper County (1.3% Hispanic). Effingham County is less Hispanic than neighboring Fayette County (3% Hispanic).

Effingham County's Native American/Other Population

86 residents of Effingham County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Effingham County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Effingham County ranks 93rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Effingham County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Effingham County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Cumberland County (0% Native American/Other), and Jasper County (0% Native American/Other). Effingham County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Clay County (0.3% Native American/Other), Shelby County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Fayette County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Effingham County's Multiracial Population

568 residents of Effingham County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Effingham County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Effingham County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Effingham County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 40.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Effingham County's population has decreased from 2.7% to 1.6%.

Effingham County is less Multiracial than neighboring Clay County (2.3% Multiracial), Shelby County (2% Multiracial), Cumberland County (4.4% Multiracial), and Fayette County (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.