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Cook County, Illinois

Cook County is a county located in the U.S. State of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 5,376,741, making it the second largest county by population in the U.S. The county seat is Chicago.

Geography The county has a total area of 4,235 km² (1,635 mi²). 2,449 km² (946 mi²) of it is land and 1,785 km² (689 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 42.16% water.

Demographics As of 2000, there are 5,376,741 people, 1,974,181 households, and 1,269,398 families residing in the county. The population density is 2,195/km² (5,686/mi²). There are 2,096,121 housing units at an average density of 856 persons/km² (2,216 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 56.27% White, 26.14% African American, 0.29% Native American, 4.84% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.88% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. 19.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,974,181 households out of which 30.90% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% are married couples living together, 15.60% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 35.70% are non-families. 29.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.68 and the average family size is 3.38.

In the county the population is spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $45,922, and the median income for a family is $53,784. Males have a median income of $40,690 versus $31,298 for females. The per capita income for the county is $23,227. 13.50% of the population and 10.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.90% are under the age of 18 and 10.30% are 65 or older.

Cities and Towns

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