Perry County Demographics

A map of Perry County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	17,530	17,779	84.9%	84.9%
Black	1,573	1,653	7.6%	7.9%
Hispanic	760	714	3.7%	3.4%
Multiracial	654	605	3.2%	2.9%
Asian	74	125	0.4%	0.6%
Native American/Other	48	69	0.2%	0.3%

Perry County, Illinois has an estimated population of 20,639, a slight decrease from the 20,945 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 84.9% White, 7.6% Black, 3.7% Hispanic, 3.2% Multiracial, 0.4% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Perry County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Perry 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 Perry County, that probability was 27.1% in 2020 and 27.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Perry County is ranked the 57th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Perry County was ranked the 57th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Perry County's White Population

17,530 residents of Perry County, or 84.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Perry County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Perry County ranks 64th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. White residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 84.9%.

Perry County is more White than neighboring Jackson County (71.3% White), and Jefferson County (83.6% White). Perry County is less White than neighboring Washington County (94.8% White), Franklin County (94.1% White), and Randolph County (85.1% White).

Perry County's Black Population

1,573 residents of Perry County, or 7.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Perry County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Perry County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Black population has declined by an estimated 4.8%. Black residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.6%.

Perry County is more Black than neighboring Washington County (1.2% Black), Franklin County (0.4% Black), and Jefferson County (5.8% Black). Perry County is less Black than neighboring Jackson County (13.9% Black), and Randolph County (8.2% Black).

Perry County's Asian Population

74 residents of Perry County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Perry County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Perry County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 40.8%. Asian residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Perry County is more Asian than neighboring Washington County (0.2% Asian). Perry County is less Asian than neighboring Jackson County (3.7% Asian), Randolph County (0.6% Asian), and Jefferson County (1% Asian).

Perry County's Hispanic Population

760 residents of Perry County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Perry County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Perry County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.7%.

Perry County is more Hispanic than neighboring Washington County (1.6% Hispanic), Franklin County (2% Hispanic), and Jefferson County (2.8% Hispanic). Perry County is less Hispanic than neighboring Jackson County (5.3% Hispanic), and Randolph County (3.8% Hispanic).

Perry County's Native American/Other Population

48 residents of Perry 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 Perry County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Perry County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 30.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Perry County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Jackson County (1.1% Native American/Other), Franklin County (0.3% Native American/Other), Randolph County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Jefferson County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Perry County's Multiracial Population

654 residents of Perry County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Perry County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Perry County ranks 77th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Perry County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 8.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Perry County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.2%.

Perry County is more Multiracial than neighboring Washington County (2% Multiracial), Franklin County (2.8% Multiracial), and Randolph County (1.9% Multiracial). Perry County is less Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (4.7% Multiracial), and Jefferson County (6% 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.