How many people live in Knox County, IL?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 48,700 people living in Knox County, IL. That makes Knox County the 29th-most populous county in Illinois. It is home to 0.38% of people living in the state.
48.7K
population of Knox County, IL (2024)
0.38%
County share of the Illinois population (2024)
About 48,700 people lived in Knox County, IL in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Knox County, IL’s age demographics?
About 11,000 Knox County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 22.6% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.9% of Illinois’ population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 9,800 Knox County residents, or 20.1% 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 Knox County, IL's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Knox County, IL’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 79.9% of the Knox County, IL population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Knox County, IL also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.9%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Knox County’s Hispanic population accounts for 6.8%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 1.4% 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.
Knox County, IL has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Illinois as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Knox County, IL is Galesburg with about 29,300 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Knox County, IL ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Galesburg | 29,289 |
| 2. | Knoxville | 2,840 |
| 3. | Abingdon (pt.) | 1,884 |
| 4. | Persifer | 1,063 |
| 5. | Abingdon (pt.) | 987 |
| 6. | East Galesburg | 744 |
| 7. | Wataga | 723 |
| 8. | Oneida (pt.) | 669 |
| 9. | Yates City | 637 |
| 10. | Williamsfield | 557 |
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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.
