Winnebago County Demographics

A map of Winnebago County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	180,624	183,235	63.8%	64.2%
Hispanic	44,014	40,952	15.5%	14.4%
Black	32,798	38,240	11.6%	13.4%
Multiracial	16,399	13,261	5.8%	4.6%
Asian	8,178	7,938	2.9%	2.8%
Native American/Other	1,279	1,724	0.5%	0.6%

Winnebago County, Illinois has an estimated population of 283,292, a less than 1% change from the 285,350 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 63.8% White, 15.5% Hispanic, 11.6% Black, 5.8% Multiracial, 2.9% Asian, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Winnebago County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Winnebago has become slightly more 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 Winnebago County, that probability was 54.6% in 2020 and 55.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Winnebago County is ranked the 7th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Winnebago County was ranked the 7th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Winnebago County's White Population

180,624 residents of Winnebago County, or 63.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Winnebago County is higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Winnebago County ranks 93rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. White residents' share of Winnebago County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 63.8%.

Winnebago County is less White than neighboring Ogle County (83% White), Boone County (68% White), Rock County (79.6% White), Stephenson County (78.9% White), and Green County (92% White).

Winnebago County's Black Population

32,798 residents of Winnebago County, or 11.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Winnebago County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Winnebago County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's Black population has declined by an estimated 14.2%. Black residents' share of Winnebago County's population has decreased from 13.4% to 11.6%.

Winnebago County is more Black than neighboring Ogle County (1.2% Black), Boone County (2.3% Black), Rock County (4.6% Black), Stephenson County (8.5% Black), and Green County (0.8% Black).

Winnebago County's Asian Population

8,178 residents of Winnebago County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Winnebago County is slightly lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Winnebago County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 3.0%. Asian residents' share of Winnebago County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.9%.

Winnebago County is more Asian than neighboring Ogle County (0.6% Asian), Boone County (1% Asian), Rock County (1.1% Asian), Stephenson County (0.8% Asian), and Green County (0.6% Asian).

Winnebago County's Hispanic Population

44,014 residents of Winnebago County, or 15.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Winnebago County is slightly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Winnebago County ranks 10th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Winnebago County's population has increased from 14.4% to 15.5%.

Winnebago County is more Hispanic than neighboring Ogle County (11.9% Hispanic), Rock County (10.1% Hispanic), Stephenson County (5.6% Hispanic), and Green County (4.2% Hispanic). Winnebago County is less Hispanic than neighboring Boone County (25.6% Hispanic).

Winnebago County's Native American/Other Population

1,279 residents of Winnebago County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Winnebago County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Winnebago County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 25.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Winnebago County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Winnebago County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Ogle County (0.4% Native American/Other), Boone County (0.4% Native American/Other), Rock County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Green County (0.3% Native American/Other). Winnebago County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Stephenson County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Winnebago County's Multiracial Population

16,399 residents of Winnebago County, or 5.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Winnebago County is slightly higher than in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Winnebago County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winnebago County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 23.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Winnebago County's population has increased from 4.6% to 5.8%.

Winnebago County is more Multiracial than neighboring Ogle County (2.9% Multiracial), Boone County (2.8% Multiracial), Rock County (4.2% Multiracial), Stephenson County (5.6% Multiracial), and Green County (2.1% 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.