• county
  • FIPS 17191
  • Largest town: Fairfield

Wayne County, Illinois

Wayne County had 15,928 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 713.8 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 102 in Illinois by population and 23rd by land area.

Population
15,928
#66 of 102 in Illinois · #2,042 in US
Area
713.8 sq mi
#23 of 102 in Illinois · #1,279 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#87 of 102 in Illinois · #2,152 in US
Median household income
$56,071
#91 of 102 in Illinois · #2,226 in US

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

Wayne County within Illinois. Pin: Springfield.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wayne County

Wayne County population, land area and income

Wayne County had 15,928 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 713.8 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 102 in Illinois by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 22.3 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; Wayne County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $56,071 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

15,928

3144th1st

2042nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

714 sq mi

3144th1st

1279th of 3,144 (US)

Density

22.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

2152nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$56,071

3143rd1st

2226th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Illinois (102)

Population

15,928

102nd1st

66th of 102 (IL)

Land area

714 sq mi

102nd1st

23rd of 102 (IL)

Density

22.3 / sq mi

102nd1st

87th of 102 (IL)

Median household income

$56,071

102nd1st

91st of 102 (IL)

How Wayne County's population changed since 2020

Wayne County lost 233 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.4%. That ranks 43rd 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, Wayne County recorded 706 births and 1,077 deaths, a natural change of -371. Net international migration added +291 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -190. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 371 people.

16.2k202016.0k202115.9k202215.9k202315.9k2024
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
706
Deaths
1,077
Net international migration
+291
Net domestic migration
-190
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+53

Where Wayne County is

The Census internal point of Wayne County is at 38.431900, -88.432400. 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 Wayne 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: Wayne County internal point. Dark pin: Springfield.

Internal point

Decimal
38.431900, -88.432400
DMS
38°25'54.84"N 88°25'56.64"W
UTM
16N 374977.3E 4254708.5N
Geohash
dnc4esm6p
Plus code
86CHCHJ9+Q2

Towns in Wayne County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Wayne County, 4,790 people together, or 30% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wayne County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Fairfield with 4,790.

  1. 01Fairfield4,790
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wayne County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Wayne County. The most populous is Marion County, IL, with 36,437 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Springfield and the nearest big city

Springfield is 113.8 miles NW of Wayne County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Evansville, IN (population 115,395), 57.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Mount Vernon, IL (population 14,162), 27.5 miles away.

Wayne County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wayne County is 17191: state code 17 for Illinois plus county code 191. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $56,071.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wayne County, Illinois?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 15,928. That is down 233 people (1.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 16,161.

What is the FIPS code of Wayne County?

17191. The first two digits (17) are Illinois; the last three (191) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wayne County?

Fairfield, with 4,790 residents inside Wayne County in 2024.

Which counties border Wayne County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Marion County, IL; Jefferson County, IL; Richland County, IL; White County, IL; Clay County, IL; Hamilton 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.