The dawn of a new year is a fun time to think about where we’ve been and compare it to where we are now. The U.S. Census Bureau has published its official 2010 census results, and Cook County has retained its status as a quiet, out-of-theway enclave. It grew between 2000 and 2010, but only by eight people.
As of 2010, Cook County had 5,176 permanent residents. About 17 percent of the population was under 18 years old, and about 20 percent was over age 65. The median age was 49.8. Females represented 50.1 percent of the population, and males represented 49.9 percent. The county contained 784 veterans.
Foreign-born persons represented 4.3 percent of the population. 5.4 percent of the population over age 5 spoke a language other than English at home. 92.2 percent of the population over age 25 had a high school diploma, and 27.4 percent over age 25 had a bachelor’s degree or higher. The statewide percentage of people age 25 or over with a bachelor’s degree or higher is 31.2 percent.
In 2010, Cook County contained 2,494 households, 318 that included husband-wife families. Fifty-eight households with children under 18 had male heads of household with no wife present, and 94 households with children under 18 had female heads of household with no husband present. 862 people, representing over one-third of the county’s households, lived alone, 100 of them men age 65 or older and 191 of them women age 65 or older. The average household size was 2.05.
Cook County had 5,839 housing units, 4,494, or 42.7 percent, of them occupied and 3,345, or 57.3 percent, of them vacant (seasonal, for rent, for sale, etc.).
74.9 percent of Cook County’s housing units were owner occupied, and 24.1 percent were renter occupied. The median value of owner-occupied housing units from 2005- 2009 was $233,300, compared to $207,000 statewide.
The mean travel time to work for Cook County residents was 14.4 minutes, compared to 22.2 minutes statewide. Per capita income from 2005-2009 in “2009 dollars” was $27,962, compared to $29,431 statewide, and the median household income in 2009 was $44,927, compared to $55,621 statewide. About 10 percent of the population was below the poverty level.
Private nonfarm employment in Cook County decreased by 7 percent from 2000 to 2009.
Cook County has 1,452.28 square miles of land, with 3.6 people per square mile.
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