county

Hardin County, IL

Demographic and economic profile of Hardin County, IL, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Hardin County is a small, rural Illinois county with a population of 3,623 that has declined 9.6% over five years, reflecting an older median age of 53.6 years and a labor force participation rate of just 39.4%. The workforce is predominantly high-school-educated—only 12.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher—with median worker earnings of $33,804 and an unemployment rate of 3.3%. Housing costs are notably low, with a median home value of $91,700 and median gross rent of just $342/month, and an 80.7% homeownership rate.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

3,623

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$54,271

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

53.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-9.6% since 2018

Hardin County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone3,477 (96.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone49 (1.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races35 (1.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race28 (0.8%)
  • Some Other Race Alone16 (0.4%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish31

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

13.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

31.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

263

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$26,550

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$30,158

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

10.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance532
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)170
  3. 3.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining122
  4. 4.Manufacturing (Group)86
  5. 5.Construction (Group)77

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations475
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations247
  3. 3.Service Occupations246
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations167
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations134

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 5.89×)115
  2. 2.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.69×)483
  3. 3.Retail Trade (LQ 1.16×)155

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$91,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$342/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

79.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999153 (12.4%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999133 (10.8%)
  • $60,000 to $69,999114 (9.3%)
  • $40,000 to $49,999100 (8.1%)
  • $20,000 to $24,99987 (7.1%)
  • $125,000 to $149,99987 (7.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

12.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

88.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

39.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$33,804

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

28.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

9.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,014 (81.5%)
  • Carpooled127 (10.2%)
  • Walked45 (3.6%)
  • Worked At Home27 (2.2%)
  • Public Transit16 (1.3%)
  • Other15 (1.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.