Good data leads to good decisions. 

The census provides the nation with vital information about who we are and how we live as residents. Interpreting the data is critical for choosing the right long-term strategies that lead to profit and growth. The Illinois State Census Data Center provides complete demographic data and analysis reports for communities in Illinois. Use our resources to drive business strategies, inform funding and programming decisions, support planning initiatives, and unravel the intricate characteristics of your community. The University of Illinois Extension provides leadership for this program in the state of Illinois. We are committed to providing the data, tools, and resources you need to interpret the census data and extract meaningful insights specific to your region

The State Data Center program is a partnership program with the US Census Bureau. Our role is to synthesize information from the national census site to fit your needs in a way that is easier to understand and act upon. Through our various resources we want to help you interpret what the numbers mean for your communities. 

• Download county profile reports containing information about the demographic and economic characteristics for every county in Illinois. Current reports reflect data from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-yr estimates.
• View the interactive maps and explore how your region compares to its neighbors. Browse different topics representing data from the 2021 American Community Survey release.
• Search and download datasets around frequent topics, including previous census releases.
• Customize your data requirements on our interactive dashboards by region or topic.
• Browse the resource section to find help navigating the official census website for additional data queries. Find tutorials on using and applying other census tools.
• Read stories about Illinois specific insights from the data.