How many people live in Alexander County, IL?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 4,600 people living in Alexander County, IL. That makes Alexander County the 99th-most populous county in Illinois. It is home to 0.04% of people living in the state.
4.59K
population of Alexander County, IL (2024)
0.04%
County share of the Illinois population (2024)
About 4,600 people lived in Alexander County, IL in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Alexander County, IL’s age demographics?
About 1,200 Alexander County, IL residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 26.2% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.9% of Illinois’ population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 946 Alexander County residents, or 20.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of Illinois’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Alexander County, IL's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Alexander County, IL’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 62.9% of the Alexander County, IL population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Alexander County, IL also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (30.5%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Alexander County’s Hispanic population accounts for 2.5%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 0.28% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Alexander County, IL has a higher share of a non-Hispanic Black or African American population than Illinois as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Alexander County, IL is Cairo with about 1,500 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Alexander County, IL ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cairo | 1,523 |
| 2. | Tamms | 373 |
| 3. | East Cape Girardeau | 253 |
| 4. | McClure | 224 |
| 5. | Thebes | 182 |
| 6. | Balance of Alexander County | 2,039 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
