How many people live in McLean County, IL?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 172,100 people living in McLean County, IL. That makes McLean County the 13th-most populous county in Illinois. It is home to 1.4% of people living in the state.
172K
population of McLean County, IL (2024)
1.4%
County share of the Illinois population (2024)
About 172,100 people lived in McLean County, IL in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are McLean County, IL’s age demographics?
About 26,500 McLean County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 15.4% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.9% of Illinois' population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 35,600 McLean County residents, or 20.7% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of Illinois’ population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of McLean County, IL's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are McLean County, IL’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 75.8% of the McLean County population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. McLean County also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.5%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, McLean County’s Hispanic population accounts for 6.9%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 9.1% of the county, compared with 12.6% 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.
McLean 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 McLean County, IL is Bloomington with about 79,200 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in McLean County, IL ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bloomington | 79,232 |
| 2. | Normal (pt.) | 52,376 |
| 3. | Le Roy | 3,495 |
| 4. | Heyworth | 2,883 |
| 5. | Bloomington | 2,633 |
| 6. | Lexington (pt.) | 2,097 |
| 7. | Hudson | 1,767 |
| 8. | Chenoa | 1,699 |
| 9. | Gridley | 1,443 |
| 10. | Dale | 1,234 |
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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.
