Prairie City, Illinois Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 378, 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

Prairie City is a small community located in Illinois, within McDonough County. The total population is 378. It ranks as the 1015th most populous out of 1,445 Census-designated places in Illinois.

Age Demographics

The median age in Prairie City is 47.5 years. This is 22% higher than the state median of 39.0 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Prairie City is $60,694. This is 27% lower than the state median of $83,390. It is also 25% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 11.9%. This is about the same as the state poverty rate of 11.8%. The unemployment rate is 7.4%. This is 27% higher than the state rate of 5.8%. The median home value is $91,500. Housing costs are 65% lower than the state median of $263,300. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 1.5x, Prairie City is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 86.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 28% higher than the state average of 67.1%.

Race & Ethnicity

Prairie City has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.8% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 5.0%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (87.8% vs 58.1%). The Black or African American population (1.8%) is well below the state average of 13.3%. The Hispanic or Latino population (5.0%) is well below the state average of 18.8%.

Education

11.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 69% lower 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 95.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for 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.