• county
  • FIPS 17159
  • Largest town: Olney

Richland County, Illinois

Richland County had 15,362 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 360.0 square miles of land. It ranks 68th of 102 in Illinois by population and 83rd by land area.

Population
15,362
#68 of 102 in Illinois · #2,069 in US
Area
360.0 sq mi
#83 of 102 in Illinois · #2,654 in US
Density
43 / sq mi
#55 of 102 in Illinois · #1,609 in US
Median household income
$57,119
#88 of 102 in Illinois · #2,116 in US

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

Richland County within Illinois. Pin: Springfield.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Richland County

Richland County population, land area and income

Richland County had 15,362 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 360.0 square miles of land. It ranks 68th of 102 in Illinois by population and 83rd by land area. That works out to 42.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $57,119 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

15,362

3144th1st

2069th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

360 sq mi

3144th1st

2654th of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1609th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$57,119

3143rd1st

2116th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Illinois (102)

Population

15,362

102nd1st

68th of 102 (IL)

Land area

360 sq mi

102nd1st

83rd of 102 (IL)

Density

42.7 / sq mi

102nd1st

55th of 102 (IL)

Median household income

$57,119

102nd1st

88th of 102 (IL)

How Richland County's population changed since 2020

Richland County lost 443 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.8%. That ranks 78th 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, Richland County recorded 647 births and 1,042 deaths, a natural change of -395. Net international migration added +38 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -116. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 395 people.

15.8k202015.8k202115.5k202215.5k202315.4k2024
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
647
Deaths
1,042
Net international migration
+38
Net domestic migration
-116
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-140

Where Richland County is

The Census internal point of Richland County is at 38.712200, -88.085500. 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 Richland 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: Richland County internal point. Dark pin: Springfield.

Internal point

Decimal
38.712200, -88.085500
DMS
38°42'43.92"N 88°05'7.80"W
UTM
16N 405623.8E 4285399.1N
Geohash
dnck5x64g
Plus code
86CHPW67+VQ

Towns in Richland County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Richland County, 8,431 people together, or 55% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Richland County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Olney with 8,431.

  1. 01Olney8,431
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Richland County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Richland County. The most populous is Crawford County, IL, with 18,388 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Springfield and the nearest big city

Springfield is 111.6 miles NW of Richland County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Evansville, IN (population 115,395), 58.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Vincennes, IN (population 16,506), 31.1 miles away.

Richland County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Richland County is 17159: state code 17 for Illinois plus county code 159. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $57,119.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Richland County, Illinois?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 15,362. That is down 443 people (2.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 15,805.

What is the FIPS code of Richland County?

17159. The first two digits (17) are Illinois; the last three (159) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Richland County?

Olney, with 8,431 residents inside Richland County in 2024.

Which counties border Richland County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Crawford County, IL; Wayne County, IL; Lawrence County, IL; Clay County, IL; Wabash County, IL; Jasper County, IL; Edwards 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.