Saline County Demographics

A map of Saline County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	21,205	21,309	91.3%	89.7%
Black	719	692	3.1%	2.9%
Multiracial	615	1,009	2.6%	4.2%
Hispanic	502	473	2.2%	2.0%
Asian	127	122	0.5%	0.5%
Native American/Other	45	163	0.2%	0.7%

Saline County, Illinois has an estimated population of 23,213, a slight decrease from the 23,768 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.3% White, 3.1% Black, 2.6% Multiracial, 2.2% Hispanic, 0.5% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Saline County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Saline 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 Saline County, that probability was 19.3% in 2020 and 16.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Saline County is ranked the 52nd most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Saline County was ranked the 52nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Saline County's White Population

21,205 residents of Saline County, or 91.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Saline County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Saline County ranks 46th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Saline County's population has increased from 89.7% to 91.3%.

Saline County is more White than neighboring Pope County (88.7% White), and Williamson County (87.9% White). Saline County is less White than neighboring Gallatin County (95% White), Hamilton County (94.7% White), and Hardin County (95.7% White).

Saline County's Black Population

719 residents of Saline County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Saline County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Saline County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's Black population has grown by an estimated 3.9%. Black residents' share of Saline County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.1%.

Saline County is more Black than neighboring Gallatin County (1.1% Black), Hamilton County (0.2% Black), and Hardin County (1.4% Black). Saline County is less Black than neighboring Pope County (4.8% Black), and Williamson County (4.3% Black).

Saline County's Asian Population

127 residents of Saline County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Saline County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Saline County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 4.1%. Asian residents' share of Saline County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Saline County is more Asian than neighboring Pope County (0% Asian), and Hardin County (0% Asian). Saline County is less Asian than neighboring Gallatin County (0.8% Asian), and Williamson County (1.4% Asian).

Saline County's Hispanic Population

502 residents of Saline County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Saline County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Saline County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Saline County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Saline County is more Hispanic than neighboring Gallatin County (1.2% Hispanic), Hamilton County (0.7% Hispanic), and Hardin County (0.9% Hispanic). Saline County is less Hispanic than neighboring Pope County (3% Hispanic), and Williamson County (2.9% Hispanic).

Saline County's Native American/Other Population

45 residents of Saline 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 Saline County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Saline County ranks 6th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 72.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Saline County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Saline County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Gallatin County (0.1% Native American/Other). Saline County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hamilton County (0.6% Native American/Other), Pope County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Williamson County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Saline County's Multiracial Population

615 residents of Saline County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Saline County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Saline County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Saline County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 39.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Saline County's population has decreased from 4.2% to 2.6%.

Saline County is more Multiracial than neighboring Gallatin County (1.8% Multiracial), and Hardin County (1.7% Multiracial). Saline County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hamilton County (3.2% Multiracial), Pope County (2.8% Multiracial), and Williamson County (3.2% 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.