Census confirms Joliet’s status as 3rd largest city

Joliet can keep its claim as third largest city in Illinois, a position made official in the 2020 Census.

City officials began claiming third-city status in 2017 when U.S. Census estimates put Joliet ahead of Rockford, which has lost population.

More recent estimates actually put Naperville ahead of Joliet. But the 2020 Census numbers now available list Joliet’s population at 150,362. Naperville is close behind at 149,540.

“I’m not surprised,” said Joliet Councilwoman Jan Quillman, who has been on the City Council since Joliet was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States in the early 2000s. “We’ve been growing by leaps and bounds.”

Joliet growth has slowed since the boom years, but the city did add population since 2010 while Illinois and many cities in the state lost people.

Joliet added 2,929 people since the 2010 Census, when its population was 147,433.

Rockford in 2010 actually was bigger than Joliet is now. Rockford then had a population of 152,871 compared to the 2020 Census population of 148,655.

Naperville added more people than Joliet in the past 10 years, although not enough to overtake Joliet in total population. Since 2010 Naperville has grown from a population of 141,853 to 149,540.

The largest and second largest cities in Illinois are Chicago and Aurora.

Quillman said Joliet has retained its character as the city has grown.

“Joliet is a big town, but it still has a small town feel,” she said. “People know their neighbors, and they know each other.”

Demographic information included in the census lists Joliet median household income at $70,509 and per capita income at $27,990. The number of people living in poverty is 10.9%, which is slightly above the national rate of 10.5%.

The racial makeup of the city is 47.8% white, 31% Hispanic, 17.1% black and 2.1% Asian. People listed as two or more races are 3.1%.

The rate of owner-occupied housing is 70.8%, which compares to a national average of 64%. Median value of owner-occupied housing is $181,100, which compares to a national average of $217,500.

Joliet has 47,563 households.

Median gross rent is $1,033, which compares to a national average of $1,062.

Average commute time to work is 30.7 minutes compared to a national average of 26.9 minutes.

The percentage of Joliet residents with a high school education is 84.2% compared to a national average of 88%. Those with bachelor’s degrees make up 22.1% compared to a national average of 32.1%.