• county
  • FIPS 17029
  • Largest town: Charleston

Coles County, Illinois

Coles County had 46,423 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 508.3 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 102 in Illinois by population and 52nd by land area.

Population
46,423
#31 of 102 in Illinois · #1,063 in US
Area
508.3 sq mi
#52 of 102 in Illinois · #2,042 in US
Density
91 / sq mi
#24 of 102 in Illinois · #979 in US
Median household income
$57,728
#86 of 102 in Illinois · #2,058 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Coles County within Illinois. Pin: Springfield.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Coles County

Coles County population, land area and income

Coles County had 46,423 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 508.3 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 102 in Illinois by population and 52nd by land area. That works out to 91.3 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Illinois has 24,447 residents; Coles County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $57,728 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

46,423

3144th1st

1063rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

508 sq mi

3144th1st

2042nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

91.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

979th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$57,728

3143rd1st

2058th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Illinois (102)

Population

46,423

102nd1st

31st of 102 (IL)

Land area

508 sq mi

102nd1st

52nd of 102 (IL)

Density

91.3 / sq mi

102nd1st

24th of 102 (IL)

Median household income

$57,728

102nd1st

86th of 102 (IL)

How Coles County's population changed since 2020

Coles County lost 661 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.4%. That ranks 41st of 102 in Illinois for growth. The median Illinois county changed by -1.7%, and the state as a whole by -0.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Coles County recorded 1,956 births and 2,515 deaths, a natural change of -559. Net international migration added +452 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -694. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 694 people.

47.1k202047.1k202146.7k202246.5k202346.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,956
Deaths
2,515
Net international migration
+452
Net domestic migration
-694
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-109

Where Coles County is

The Census internal point of Coles County is at 39.513700, -88.220800. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Illinois's 102 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Coles County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Piatt County: -0.3%Hamilton County: -2.2%Williamson County: -0.1%Edgar County: -2.4%Macoupin County: -2.3%Marshall County: -1.3%Putnam County: +0.0%Richland County: -2.8%Washington County: -1.4%Lee County: -1.5%Douglas County: +0.2%Cook County: -1.6%Effingham County: -0.3%Edwards County: -3.6%Cass County: -2.0%Clay County: -3.4%Knox County: -2.2%LaSalle County: -0.9%Cumberland County: -1.3%Warren County: -3.7%Moultrie County: -0.9%Menard County: -2.5%Fayette County: -1.5%Boone County: -0.0%Lawrence County: -3.2%Marion County: -3.2%Champaign County: +3.0%Clark County: -2.4%Ford County: -0.4%Wayne County: -1.4%Logan County: -1.4%Grundy County: +2.5%Jasper County: -1.8%Crawford County: -1.3%McDonough County: -1.7%Clinton County: +0.5%Perry County: -3.0%Montgomery County: -2.2%Henry County: -2.0%Livingston County: -1.2%Scott County: -3.8%Alexander County: -11.2%Bureau County: -2.2%Brown County: +1.1%Mason County: -3.9%Calhoun County: -4.1%Greene County: -4.3%Coles County: -1.4%Kendall County: +8.2%Lake County: +0.7%Mercer County: -2.2%St. Clair County: -2.3%Wabash County: -3.0%Bond County: -1.7%DuPage County: +0.6%Gallatin County: -5.2%Stephenson County: -3.3%McHenry County: +1.9%White County: -3.0%Saline County: -3.9%Christian County: -2.2%Sangamon County: -1.0%Massac County: -3.6%Macon County: -2.9%Johnson County: -0.0%Jo Daviess County: -2.6%Peoria County: -1.0%DeKalb County: +1.0%Pope County: -1.5%De Witt County: -0.9%Schuyler County: -1.7%Fulton County: -3.1%Ogle County: -0.8%Jersey County: -1.6%Iroquois County: -3.3%Kankakee County: -0.9%Rock Island County: -1.1%Pulaski County: -5.8%Kane County: +0.9%Union County: -2.4%Whiteside County: -1.7%Woodford County: -0.3%Carroll County: -1.5%Adams County: -2.3%Hardin County: -2.6%Madison County: -1.0%Hancock County: -3.1%Monroe County: +0.0%Tazewell County: -1.1%Jackson County: -0.1%Vermilion County: -3.9%Randolph County: -0.6%McLean County: +0.5%Morgan County: -2.6%Shelby County: -1.7%Will County: +1.7%Winnebago County: -0.4%Jefferson County: -2.4%Stark County: -2.2%Henderson County: -4.5%Pike County: -2.6%Franklin County: -1.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -2.2%
  3. < -1.4%
  4. < -0.3%
  5. ≥ -0.3%
no data

Orange pin: Coles County internal point. Dark pin: Springfield.

Internal point

Decimal
39.513700, -88.220800
DMS
39°30'49.32"N 88°13'14.88"W
UTM
16N 395055.9E 4374496.4N
Geohash
dp12b3pxf
Plus code
86FHGQ7H+FM

Towns in Coles County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Coles County, 33,963 people together, or 73% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Coles County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Charleston with 17,361.

  1. 01Charleston17,361
  2. 02Mattoon16,602
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Coles County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Coles County. The most populous is Shelby County, IL, with 20,542 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Springfield and the nearest big city

Springfield is 78.2 miles WNW of Coles County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Springfield, IL (population 112,949), 78.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Charleston, IL (population 17,361), 3.0 miles away.

Coles County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Coles County is 17029: state code 17 for Illinois plus county code 029. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $57,728.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Coles County, Illinois?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 46,423. That is down 661 people (1.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 47,084.

What is the FIPS code of Coles County?

17029. The first two digits (17) are Illinois; the last three (029) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Coles County?

Charleston, with 17,361 residents inside Coles County in 2024.

Which counties border Coles County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Shelby County, IL; Douglas County, IL; Edgar County, IL; Clark County, IL; Moultrie County, IL; Cumberland County, IL.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.