Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Macon County, IL: population growth, jobs and income

Macon County lost 649 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.6%).

Macon County had an estimated 99,300 residents in 2025, down 4.3% (4,461 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Illinois as a whole (−0.6%), and the 91st fastest growth of 102 counties in Illinois.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Macon County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Macon County, ranked against Illinois and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$847/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes12.4%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months452025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Illinois? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 462 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 42,511 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −4.1% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 5.8% in 2025, 0.6 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 38 new homes in 2025, or 0.4 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $62,666 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +16.6% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 2,864th.

Part of the Decatur, IL metro area.

Get Macon County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Macon County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Macon County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Macon County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202599,300−649
202499,949−415
2023100,364−818
2022101,182−1,393
2021102,575−1,186
2020103,761–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Macon County

Macon County lost 4,461 people since 2020; the biggest drag was domestic migration (−3,803).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−334−1,504
International migrationfrom and to other countries+143+836
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−462−3,803
Census adjustmentbalancing residual+4+10
Total change−649−4,461

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn IllinoisAmong U.S. counties
Population growth91st of 1022,864th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents86th of 1022,525th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth68th of 1022,378th of 3,092
Median household income70th of 1021,807th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate100th of 1022,829th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents70th of 982,505th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Macon County, IL as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Sangamon County and Christian County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Macon County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Macon County lost population faster than all 7 of its neighbouring counties (−4.3%, 2020–25).

6 of its 7 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Macon County's $62,666 (2020–24).

Macon County, IL and its 7 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Macon County, IL This county99,300−4.3%−4.70.4$62,666
De Witt County, IL15,118−2.1%−1.80.9$71,678
Christian County, IL33,443−1.5%2.61.8$62,611
Moultrie County, IL14,371−0.8%−5.12.0$71,784
Piatt County, IL16,791+0.6%10.82.3$94,811
Logan County, IL27,182−2.5%1.72.4$66,358
Shelby County, IL20,576−1.6%5.32.2$72,095
Sangamon County, IL194,170−1.0%−0.51.2$75,357

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 102 Illinois counties · Every state

Questions

Is Macon County growing?

No. Its population fell 4.3% between 2020 and 2025, about 4,461 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Illinois as a whole changed −0.6% over the same years. That ranks 91st of 102 counties in Illinois for population growth.

How many people moved to Macon County?

On net, none in 2025: about 462 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Macon County?

It averaged 5.8% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Macon County?

About 99,300 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Macon County?

Private employers there had 42,511 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −4.1% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Illinois

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Illinois county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Macon County data alerts

Email me when Macon County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Macon County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.