Population 232 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Ray: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Ray
Household size in Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.33 | 2.69 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.45 | 2.71 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.31 | 2.66 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.06 | 2.58 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.26 | −0.11 | −0.03 |
Ray is a place of small households, averaging 2.06 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has dropped from 2.33 in 2006–10, 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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.3 | 37.6 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 43.3 | 38.5 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 45.7 | 39.6 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 52.9 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +8.6 | +2.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 52.9, Ray 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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.5% | 11.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.6% | 11.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 19.3% | 11.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.3% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +5.9 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit less common in Ray than nationally: 10.3%, against 11.6%. Illinois as a whole looks much the same.
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 Ray
Renters in Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.1% | 30.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 19.8% | 33.1% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 8.2% | 33.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 10.3% | 32.9% | 34.8% |
| Change | −7.7 pts | +2.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 10.3% of households in Ray rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 57.5% have no mortgage at all, 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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.8% | 10.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 20.7% | 9.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.3% | 8.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +12.2 pts | −1.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Ray: 21.3% of homes are empty, 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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1950 | 1966 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1952 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1955 | 1968 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1978 | 1970 | 1980 |
| Change | +28 | +4 | +6 |
Homes in Ray are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1978, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are newer than in Illinois overall, where the median home dates to 1970.
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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $414 | $953 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $518 | $1,028 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $633 | $1,165 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,182 | $1,428 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$768 | +$475 | +$606 |
Rent in Ray runs $1,182 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 27.5% of household income on rent, just 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 Ray
Bachelor's degrees in Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.6% | 31.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.0% | 32.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.0% | 34.7% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.9 pts | +6.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Ray have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 18.5%, 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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 84.3% | 86.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 90.1% | 87.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.5% | 89.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 88.3% | 90.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.0 pts | +4.0 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Ray is close to the national rate: 88.3% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in Illinois as a whole (90.3%).
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 Ray
| Period | Ray | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.6% | 8.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 2.6% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.3% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.2% | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | −2.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Ray has been low: just 3.2% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Ray 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray | 2.06 | 52.9 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 21.3% | 1978 | $1,182 | 18.5% | 88.3% | 3.2% |
| Browning | 2.17 | 52.1 | 11.5% | 13.7% | 35.1% | 1971 | $856 | 15.5% | 94.1% | 2.3% |
| Vermont | 2.18 | 44.8 | 6.6% | 20.2% | 8.2% | 1946 | $723 | 11.4% | 92.7% | 3.6% |
| Rushville | 2.15 | 46.3 | 11.1% | 25.0% | 17.1% | 1969 | $821 | 19.3% | 93.7% | 5.7% |
| Astoria | 2.01 | 39.7 | 21.4% | 27.1% | 21.2% | 1968 | $813 | 20.8% | 91.2% | 3.1% |
| Littleton | 2.10 | 52.4 | 8.5% | 7.8% | 20.1% | 1979 | $1,189 | 19.1% | 89.0% | 3.2% |
| Frederick | 2.34 | 50.9 | 4.2% | 14.4% | 11.4% | 1973 | $902 | 20.9% | 97.1% | 3.7% |
| Industry | 2.26 | 41.6 | 12.9% | 9.8% | 12.9% | 1964 | $797 | 29.9% | 95.5% | 1.7% |
| Summum | 2.12 | 53.5 | 12.9% | 11.8% | 22.9% | 1976 | $759 | 11.2% | 96.0% | 8.6% |
| Sheldons Grove | 2.05 | 56.3 | 7.1% | 11.3% | 34.5% | 1969 | $844 | 12.5% | 95.1% | 4.7% |
| Table Grove | 2.32 | 45.4 | 9.2% | 8.0% | 11.2% | 1969 | $792 | 13.5% | 92.8% | 7.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Paris, PA · Peoria, MO · Pedee, OR · Pearson, WI · Pearl City, TX · Patton, IL · Parral, OH · Parker Dam, CA · Park, KS · Perlee, IA
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 Ray. 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.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.