Population 194 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Elco
Household size in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.27 | 2.69 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.17 | 2.71 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.87 | 2.66 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.80 | 2.58 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.53 | −0.11 | −0.03 |
The typical household in Elco holds 2.80 people, slightly more than the U.S. average of 2.65. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.27, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.7 | 37.6 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 49.0 | 38.5 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 54.0 | 39.6 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 53.4 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +8.7 | +2.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 53.4, Elco is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.6% | 11.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 20.8% | 11.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 5.4% | 11.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Elco: 3.5% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Elco
Renters in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.5% | 30.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.5% | 33.1% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 26.1% | 33.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 10.9% | 32.9% | 34.8% |
| Change | +0.3 pts | +2.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Elco is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 10.9% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. More than half of owners (55.5%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.0% | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 35.8% | 10.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 40.1% | 9.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 27.2% | 8.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +18.2 pts | −1.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 27.2% of the housing in Elco, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1984 | 1966 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1950 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1968 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1985 | 1970 | 1980 |
| Change | +0 | +4 | +6 |
The housing in Elco is a little younger than the country's: half of it was built after 1985, against 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $488 | $953 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $656 | $1,028 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $760 | $1,165 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $744 | $1,428 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$256 | +$475 | +$606 |
The median renter in Elco pays $744 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 24.9% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Elco
Bachelor's degrees in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.4% | 31.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 4.0% | 32.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 8.6% | 34.7% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.8% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| Change | +5.4 pts | +6.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Elco have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 9.8%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.8% | 86.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 87.3% | 87.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 80.9% | 89.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.0% | 90.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +8.2 pts | +4.0 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in Elco have finished high school (91.0%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%. The picture is much the same across Illinois.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Elco
| Period | Elco | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.7% | 8.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 16.2% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.2% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 0.0% | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −9.7 pts | −2.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
The survey found almost no one in Elco out of work and looking, against 5.4% of the labor force nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Elco compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elco | 2.80 | 53.4 | 3.5% | 10.9% | 27.2% | 1985 | $744 | 9.8% | 91.0% | 0.0% |
| Mill Creek | 2.36 | 41.0 | 10.0% | 10.9% | 4.2% | 1992 | $654 | 15.9% | 68.7% | 3.4% |
| Tamms | 2.33 | 49.3 | 7.4% | 14.1% | 20.9% | 1983 | $592 | 13.7% | 87.6% | 1.2% |
| Reynoldsville | 2.63 | 43.2 | 9.1% | 9.3% | 12.8% | 1988 | $673 | 17.8% | 79.1% | 1.9% |
| Ullin | 2.02 | 47.7 | 10.5% | 22.0% | 32.1% | 1974 | $645 | 16.8% | 87.2% | 0.6% |
| Wetaug | 2.25 | 45.6 | 9.5% | 20.4% | 36.8% | 1978 | $647 | 10.2% | 90.9% | 1.8% |
| Gale | 2.83 | 52.5 | 3.3% | 11.0% | 26.4% | 1984 | $741 | 10.0% | 91.1% | 0.1% |
| Pulaski | 2.05 | 48.8 | 9.0% | 24.4% | 17.3% | 1973 | $669 | 23.4% | 81.3% | 0.0% |
| McClure | 2.81 | 43.9 | 7.8% | 28.8% | 37.3% | 1974 | $856 | 13.1% | 90.4% | 9.0% |
| Dongola | 2.56 | 44.7 | 7.4% | 19.7% | 16.4% | 1982 | $683 | 13.7% | 81.9% | 2.5% |
| Balcom | 2.73 | 42.4 | 10.1% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 1982 | $612 | 22.6% | 86.0% | 2.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Sunkist, OK · Dixboro, MI · Dos Cabezas, AZ · Double Branches, GA · Egypt Mills, MO · St. Philip, IN · Stark, MO · State Line, IN · Streeter, WV · Success, AR
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Elco. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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