Kankakee County Demographics

A map of Kankakee County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	72,459	73,591	68.0%	68.5%
Black	15,220	15,417	14.3%	14.3%
Hispanic	13,523	12,520	12.7%	11.6%
Multiracial	3,986	4,347	3.7%	4.0%
Asian	1,048	1,069	1.0%	1.0%
Native American/Other	399	558	0.4%	0.5%

Kankakee County, Illinois has an estimated population of 106,635, a less than 1% change from the 107,502 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 68.0% White, 14.3% Black, 12.7% Hispanic, 3.7% Multiracial, 1.0% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Kankakee County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Kankakee is about as racially diverse as it was in 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 Kankakee County, that probability was 49.5% in 2020 and 50.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Kankakee County is ranked the 18th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Kankakee County was ranked the 18th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Kankakee County's White Population

72,459 residents of Kankakee County, or 68.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Kankakee County is higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Kankakee County ranks 89th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.5%. White residents' share of Kankakee County's population has decreased from 68.5% to 68.0%.

Kankakee County is more White than neighboring Will County (58.6% White), and Lake County (51.4% White). Kankakee County is less White than neighboring Iroquois County (87.2% White), Newton County (85.6% White), and Grundy County (82.4% White).

Kankakee County's Black Population

15,220 residents of Kankakee County, or 14.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Kankakee County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Kankakee County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's Black population has declined by an estimated 1.3%. Black residents' share of Kankakee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 14.3%.

Kankakee County is more Black than neighboring Will County (11.6% Black), Iroquois County (0.8% Black), Newton County (1.1% Black), and Grundy County (2.3% Black). Kankakee County is less Black than neighboring Lake County (22.7% Black).

Kankakee County's Asian Population

1,048 residents of Kankakee County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Kankakee County is slightly lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Kankakee County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 2.0%. Asian residents' share of Kankakee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Kankakee County is more Asian than neighboring Iroquois County (0.3% Asian), Newton County (0.5% Asian), and Grundy County (0.6% Asian). Kankakee County is less Asian than neighboring Will County (6.3% Asian), and Lake County (1.6% Asian).

Kankakee County's Hispanic Population

13,523 residents of Kankakee County, or 12.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Kankakee County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Kankakee County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Kankakee County's population has increased from 11.6% to 12.7%.

Kankakee County is more Hispanic than neighboring Iroquois County (8.3% Hispanic), Newton County (8.4% Hispanic), and Grundy County (12% Hispanic). Kankakee County is less Hispanic than neighboring Will County (19.8% Hispanic), and Lake County (20.9% Hispanic).

Kankakee County's Native American/Other Population

399 residents of Kankakee County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Kankakee County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Kankakee County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 28.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Kankakee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Kankakee County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Newton County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Grundy County (0.3% Native American/Other). Kankakee County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Iroquois County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Lake County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Kankakee County's Multiracial Population

3,986 residents of Kankakee County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Kankakee County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Kankakee County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kankakee County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 8.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Kankakee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.7%.

Kankakee County is more Multiracial than neighboring Will County (3.4% Multiracial), Iroquois County (2.9% Multiracial), Grundy County (2.4% Multiracial), and Lake County (2.9% Multiracial). Kankakee County is less Multiracial than neighboring Newton County (4% 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.