• county
  • FIPS 17195
  • Largest town: Sterling

Whiteside County, Illinois

Whiteside County had 54,657 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 684.1 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 102 in Illinois by population and 26th by land area.

Population
54,657
#24 of 102 in Illinois · #950 in US
Area
684.1 sq mi
#26 of 102 in Illinois · #1,371 in US
Density
80 / sq mi
#28 of 102 in Illinois · #1,077 in US
Median household income
$68,641
#42 of 102 in Illinois · #1,090 in US

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

Whiteside County within Illinois. Pin: Springfield.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Whiteside County

Whiteside County population, land area and income

Whiteside County had 54,657 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 684.1 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 102 in Illinois by population and 26th by land area. That works out to 79.9 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, so Whiteside County is 2.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $68,641 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

54,657

3144th1st

950th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

684 sq mi

3144th1st

1371st of 3,144 (US)

Density

79.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1077th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$68,641

3143rd1st

1090th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Illinois (102)

Population

54,657

102nd1st

24th of 102 (IL)

Land area

684 sq mi

102nd1st

26th of 102 (IL)

Density

79.9 / sq mi

102nd1st

28th of 102 (IL)

Median household income

$68,641

102nd1st

42nd of 102 (IL)

How Whiteside County's population changed since 2020

Whiteside County lost 917 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.7%. That ranks 50th 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, Whiteside County recorded 2,378 births and 3,290 deaths, a natural change of -912. Net international migration added +283 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -423. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 912 people.

55.6k202055.3k202154.6k202254.6k202354.7k2024
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
2,378
Deaths
3,290
Net international migration
+283
Net domestic migration
-423
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+75

Where Whiteside County is

The Census internal point of Whiteside County is at 41.750700, -89.911000. 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 Whiteside 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: Whiteside County internal point. Dark pin: Springfield.

Internal point

Decimal
41.750700, -89.911000
DMS
41°45'2.52"N 89°54'39.60"W
UTM
16N 257967.2E 4626193.4N
Geohash
dp2jd02z3
Plus code
86HGQ32Q+7J

Towns in Whiteside County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Whiteside County, 34,115 people together, or 62% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Whiteside County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sterling with 14,535.

  1. 01Sterling14,535
  2. 02Rock Falls8,614
  3. 03Morrison3,988
  4. 04Fulton3,581
  5. 05Prophetstown1,906
  6. 06Erie1,491
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Whiteside County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Whiteside County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Rock Island County, IL, with 142,731 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Springfield and the nearest big city

Springfield is 136.8 miles S of Whiteside County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Davenport, IA (population 100,938), 38.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sterling, IL (population 14,535), 11.6 miles away.

Whiteside County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Whiteside County is 17195: state code 17 for Illinois plus county code 195. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $68,641.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Whiteside County, Illinois?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 54,657. That is down 917 people (1.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 55,574.

What is the FIPS code of Whiteside County?

17195. The first two digits (17) are Illinois; the last three (195) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Whiteside County?

Sterling, with 14,535 residents inside Whiteside County in 2024.

Which counties border Whiteside County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Rock Island County, IL; Ogle County, IL; Henry County, IL; Clinton County, IA; Lee County, IL; Bureau County, IL; Carroll 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.