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Population Review

Census ACS 2023 · 18 metrics compared

Illinois vs New Jersey

Illinois and New Jersey compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. New Jersey leads in 7 of the comparable categories.

6

Illinois wins

MetricIllinoisNew Jersey
Population12,692,6539,267,014
Median Age38.940.1
Median Household Income$81,702$101,050
Per Capita Income$45,104$53,118
Poverty Rate8.2%7.0%
Unemployment Rate3.8%4.1%
Median Home Value$250,500$427,600
Median Rent$1,227$1,653
Homeownership Rate66.8%63.7%
Bachelor's Degree+37.2%42.9%
High School+90.3%90.7%
Work From Home14.0%15.0%
Avg Commute (min)28.130.9
White63.3%56.9%
Hispanic1.5%1.2%
Black13.8%13.0%
Asian0.0%0.0%
Foreign Born17.5%22.9%

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Frequently Asked Questions

Illinois has a population of 12,692,653 compared to New Jersey's 9,267,014.

Across the metrics compared, Illinois leads in 6 categories while New Jersey leads in 7. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you — income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.

All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.

Comparison based on American Community Survey 2023 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.