Illinois

Population
	2000	2007
Population	12,419,293	12,852,548
State Rank	5	5
Median Age	34.7	35.9
Total 8 year-olds	186,794	168,929
Boys	95,423	86,417
Girls	91,371	82,512
Total 9 year-olds	189,972	169,981
Boys	97,312	86,990
Girls	92,660	82,991
Total 10 year-olds	189,324	170,887
Boys	96,513	87,054
Girls	92,811	83,833
Total 11 year-olds	182,411	176,005
Boys	93,352	90,048
Girls	89,059	85,957
Total 12 year-olds	179,984	179,421
Boys	92,391	92,116
Girls	87,593	87,305

How People Get to Work:
Drive Alone	73%	74%
Car Pool	11%	9%
Public Transportation	9%	9%

Geography
Capital	Springfield
Largest City	Chicago
Second Largest City	Aurora
Persons per square mile	223

Business
	2000	2006
Dentist Offices	5,465	5,679
Amusement Parks	17	11
FastFood Restaurants	9,307	10,725
Toy Stores	472	378
Video/Disc Rental Stores	942	799
Zoos & Botanical Gardens	13	20
Candy & Nut Stores	310	227
Pet & Pet Supply Stores	325	365
Ice Cream & Frozen Dessert Makers	17	15

Note: As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error.

A value of NA indicates that data are not available for the indicated time period, or is not applicable for the current region.

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History

Date of Statehood: December 3, 1818
Population 1820: 55,211
Population 1850: 851,470
Population 1900: 4,821,550
Population 1950: 8,712,176

I never knew that! *

Nickname: Prairie State
Slogan: Land of Lincoln
Flower: Purple Violet
Tree: White Oak
Bird: Cardinal
Mammal: White-tailed deer
Snack: Popcorn
Fossil: Tully-Monster

Teachers: Download the Picture Your State lesson plan. [pdf]

Who told you this stuff?

The U.S. Census Bureau takes a census of the population every 10 years, and censuses of economic activity and governments every five years. And every year, the Census Bureau conducts more than 100 other surveys. Data on this page come from Population Estimates, the Census of Population and Housing, the American Community Survey, and County Business Patterns.

How are these data collected?

The U.S. Census Bureau sends questionnaires in the mail or contacts businesses and households to participate in its surveys.

* State symbol information was obtained from various non-Census Bureau resources including state web sites, educational web sites, and commercial entities.