Belle Prairie City, Illinois Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 72, Belle Prairie City's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Belle Prairie City is a small community located in Illinois, within Hamilton County. The total population is 72. It ranks as the 1371st most populous out of 1,445 Census-designated places in Illinois.

Age Demographics

The median age in Belle Prairie City is 26.5 years. This is 32% lower than the state median of 39.0 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Belle Prairie City is $76,071. This is 9% lower than the state median of $83,390. It is also 6% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 30.6%. This is 159% higher than the state poverty rate of 11.8%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The survey records no unemployed residents in Belle Prairie City, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $161,100. Housing costs are 39% lower than the state median of $263,300. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.1x, Belle Prairie City is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 100.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 49% higher than the state average of 67.1%.

Race & Ethnicity

Every resident counted in Belle Prairie City was recorded as White (non-Hispanic). A figure of exactly 100.0% reflects a survey sample too small to capture the community's full composition rather than a precise measurement.

Education

42.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 12% higher than the state rate of 37.9%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 86.7%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Belle Prairie City, Illinois is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Illinois state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,445 Census-designated places in Illinois. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.