Bureau County by the numbers

More than 18 percent of Bureau County’s residents are 65 or older.

Almost 16 percent have earned a bachelor’s degree.

There are more than 3,100 veterans living in the county.

These and hundreds of other statistics are available online through the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau has released new information in its section on the country’s counties. These files contain demographic, economic and governmental statistics from the Census Bureau and other federal agencies on topics such as agriculture, crime, education, health, retail trade and vital statistics.

Statistics are available for every county and state, and allow users to compare their county’s information with places across the state and the country.

Population

Bureau County’s 18.1 percent of residents 65 or older is greater than Illinois as a whole,
which averages a senior population of 12.5 percent.

The entire population of Bureau County is overwhelmingly white with 94.2 percent, compared to a state average of 71.5 percent.

Asians come in second in Bureau County with 0.7 percent, followed by blacks with 0.6 percent and American Indians with 0.3 percent.

In Bureau County, 7.7 percent are of Hispanic origin, compared to 15.8 percent for the state.

In addition, most Bureau Countians were born in the United States. Only 3 percent of residents are foreign-born, compared to 13.4 for the entire state.

Working

Although Bureau County’s population decreased slightly from the last decade, the civilian labor force actually increased from 19,122 in 2000 to 19,555 in 2010.

Those working struggled harder during the recent recession than statewide. In Bureau County, the unemployment rate was 5 percent in 2000 and 11.4 percent in 2010, slightly worse than the state’s averages of 4.5 percent in 2000 and 10.3 percent in 2010.

In the county, per capita personal income increased from $25,397 in 2000 to $32,319 in 2007. The increase was greater for the state, which saw personal income increase from $32,190 in 2000 to $41,012 in 2007.

Median household income in 2009 was $47,015 in Bureau County and $53,974 statewide.

Other information

Bureau Countians enjoy a lot of wide open spaces. The average population per square mile in the county is just over 40, compared to a state average of 231 people per square mile.

There were 7,326 Social Security recipients in 2000, a figure that climbed to 7,660 in 2010. Supplemental security income recipients climbed from 251 in 2000 to 352 in 2010.

The birth rate in the county trails the state slightly, with 11.9 births per 1,000 in 2007, below the state average of 14.2. Both state and local rates dropped slightly from 2000.

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