Lawrence County Demographics

A map of Lawrence County's Population by Race

Lawrence County, Illinois has an estimated population of 15,031, a slight decrease from the 15,280 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.8% White, 7.3% Multiracial, 6.2% Black, 2.1% Hispanic, 0.5% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lawrence County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, that probability was 29.0% in 2020 and 28.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lawrence County is ranked the 72nd most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Lawrence County was ranked the 72nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lawrence County's White Population

12,601 residents of Lawrence County, or 83.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lawrence County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Lawrence County ranks 68th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. White residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 83.8%.

Lawrence County is less White than neighboring Crawford County (90.3% White), Wabash County (93.4% White), Knox County (89.4% White), Richland County (93.4% White), and Gibson County (90.1% White).

Lawrence County's Black Population

932 residents of Lawrence County, or 6.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lawrence County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Lawrence County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Black population has declined by an estimated 33.1%. Black residents' share of Lawrence County's population has decreased from 9.1% to 6.2%.

Lawrence County is more Black than neighboring Crawford County (3.4% Black), Wabash County (0.5% Black), Knox County (1.7% Black), Richland County (0.3% Black), and Gibson County (1.8% Black).

Lawrence County's Asian Population

69 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lawrence County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Lawrence County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 19.0%. Asian residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Lawrence County is more Asian than neighboring Crawford County (0.2% Asian). Lawrence County is less Asian than neighboring Wabash County (1.6% Asian), Knox County (0.9% Asian), and Gibson County (0.6% Asian).

Lawrence County's Hispanic Population

323 residents of Lawrence County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lawrence County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Lawrence County ranks 48th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 37.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Lawrence County's population has decreased from 3.4% to 2.1%.

Lawrence County is more Hispanic than neighboring Richland County (2% Hispanic). Lawrence County is less Hispanic than neighboring Crawford County (2.7% Hispanic), Knox County (3% Hispanic), and Gibson County (2.3% Hispanic).

Lawrence County's Native American/Other Population

13 residents of Lawrence County, 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 Lawrence County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Lawrence County ranks 85th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 72.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Lawrence County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Crawford County (0.6% Native American/Other), Knox County (0.2% Native American/Other), Richland County (1% Native American/Other), and Gibson County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Lawrence County's Multiracial Population

1,093 residents of Lawrence County, or 7.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lawrence County is slightly higher than in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Lawrence County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 123.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Lawrence County's population has increased from 3.2% to 7.3%.

Lawrence County is more Multiracial than neighboring Crawford County (2.8% Multiracial), Wabash County (2.2% Multiracial), Knox County (4.8% Multiracial), Richland County (2.8% Multiracial), and Gibson County (4.3% 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.