Knox County Demographics

A map of Knox County's Population by Race

Knox County, Illinois has an estimated population of 49,046, a slight decrease from the 49,967 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.9% White, 8.0% Black, 6.4% Hispanic, 4.0% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Knox County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Knox has become slightly 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 Knox County, that probability was 35.8% in 2020 and 34.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Knox County is ranked the 29th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Knox County was ranked the 29th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Knox County's White Population

39,210 residents of Knox County, or 79.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Knox County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Knox County ranks 78th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.0%. White residents' share of Knox County's population has increased from 79.3% to 79.9%.

Knox County is more White than neighboring Peoria County (66.1% White). Knox County is less White than neighboring Warren County (81.1% White), Henry County (87% White), Stark County (90.7% White), and Fulton County (91.7% White).

Knox County's Black Population

3,910 residents of Knox County, or 8.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Knox County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Knox County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's Black population has declined by an estimated 10.2%. Black residents' share of Knox County's population has decreased from 8.7% to 8.0%.

Knox County is more Black than neighboring Warren County (2.7% Black), Henry County (1% Black), Stark County (1.2% Black), and Fulton County (2.8% Black). Knox County is less Black than neighboring Peoria County (17.2% Black).

Knox County's Asian Population

617 residents of Knox County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Knox County is slightly lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Knox County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 70.9%. Asian residents' share of Knox County's population has increased from 0.7% to 1.3%.

Knox County is more Asian than neighboring Henry County (0.5% Asian), Stark County (0.8% Asian), and Fulton County (0.3% Asian). Knox County is less Asian than neighboring Warren County (2.4% Asian), and Peoria County (4.6% Asian).

Knox County's Hispanic Population

3,161 residents of Knox County, or 6.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Knox County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Knox County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 3.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Knox County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 6.4%.

Knox County is more Hispanic than neighboring Stark County (2.9% Hispanic), Fulton County (2.5% Hispanic), and Peoria County (6% Hispanic). Knox County is less Hispanic than neighboring Warren County (11.1% Hispanic), and Henry County (6.9% Hispanic).

Knox County's Native American/Other Population

198 residents of Knox 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 Knox County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Knox County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 32.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Knox County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Knox County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Stark County (0.1% Native American/Other). Knox County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Warren County (0.6% Native American/Other), Henry County (0.6% Native American/Other), Fulton County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Peoria County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Knox County's Multiracial Population

1,950 residents of Knox County, or 4.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Knox County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Knox County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Knox County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 15.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Knox County's population has decreased from 4.6% to 4.0%.

Knox County is more Multiracial than neighboring Warren County (2.1% Multiracial), and Fulton County (2.1% Multiracial). Knox County is less Multiracial than neighboring Stark County (4.2% Multiracial), and Peoria County (5.5% 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.