Hamilton County, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Hamilton County, Illinois had an estimated 7,818 residents on July 1, 2024, down 2.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,989, across 435 square miles. County output reached $478.3 m in 2024, 175 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $3.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Hamilton County
How many people live in Hamilton County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20247,916
- Households3,387
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$65,746
- Median age43.9
- Median gross rent$568 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$113,700
- Home value to household income1.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income10.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,618
- Population under 181,731
- Share under 1821.9 percent
- Population 65 and over1,816
- Share 65 and over22.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,369
- Civilian labor force3,722
- Unemployment rate5.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.2 percent
- Rank by population among Illinois counties89th of 102
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2657th of 3,222
Hamilton County is the 89th largest of 102 Illinois counties by population. A median home costs 1.7 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.9 percent against 21.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Hamilton County
Is Hamilton County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20247,818
- Census 2020 base population7,989
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.14 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-68
- Births, 202466
- Deaths, 2024112
- Natural change, 2024-46
- Net domestic migration, 2024-21
- Net international migration, 2024-2
- Total net migration, 2024-23
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20245
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2538th of 3,144
The county has lost 2.14 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Hamilton County
Where are people moving to Hamilton County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving152
- People arriving, from those returns318
- Tax returns filed by households leaving137
- Net household movement15
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$2.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$52,007
- Average income of a leaving household$43,431
- Largest single originJefferson County (30 households)
- Largest single destinationJefferson County (29 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 30 | 48 | $1.5 m |
| Franklin County | 27 | 67 | $2.2 m |
Households arriving report $8,576 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Jefferson County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Hamilton County
What is the Hamilton County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$478.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$468.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.1 percent
- GDP change over five years59.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Illinois areas BEA publishes86th of 102
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2432nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$60,419
Output grew 2.1 percent in the latest year and 59.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Hamilton County
Employment by industry in Hamilton County
- Covered employment, annual average2,057
- Establishments reporting210
- Average annual pay$54,483
- Average weekly wage$1,048
- Retail trade, employment166
- Retail trade, average annual pay$29,602
- Wholesale trade, employment112
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$54,589
- Manufacturing, employment97
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$51,462
- Other services, except public administration, employment91
- Other services, except public administration, average annual pay$27,641
- Construction, employment69
- Finance and insurance, employment39
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 166 | 26 | $29,602 |
| Wholesale trade | 112 | 10 | $54,589 |
| Manufacturing | 97 | 12 | $51,462 |
| Other services, except public administration | 91 | 27 | $27,641 |
| Construction | 69 | 14 | $52,097 |
| Finance and insurance | 39 | 11 | $61,436 |
| Information | 37 | 4 | $63,657 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 31 | 12 | $48,647 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 166 jobs, 8.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Hamilton County
How many businesses are in Hamilton County?
- Establishments, all industries175
- Employment at those establishments1,531
- Annual payroll$84.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hamilton County
SBA loans in Hamilton County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$3.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$597,900
- Median 7(a) approval$180,000
- Largest single approval$2,300,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)70
- Jobs per approval14.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term180 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer40.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Most active lenderPeoples National Bank National Association (5)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$221,000
- Average 504 approval$221,000
- Median 504 approval$221,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval5.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved22.6
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$3.2 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hamilton County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Hamilton County
Do SBA loans in Hamilton County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure4
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hamilton County
SBA lending by place in Hamilton County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- McLeansboro, approvals4
- Dahlgren, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| McLeansboro | 4 | $2,917,500 |
| Dahlgren | 1 | $72,000 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hamilton County
How large is Hamilton County?
- Land area435 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Illinois counties66th of 102
- Width, east to west18.3 mi
- Height, north to south24.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land18
- Establishments per square mile0.40
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hamilton County
Flood risk in Hamilton County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Hamilton County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 170910
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate66.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Hamilton County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Hamilton County (community 170910), does not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Hamilton County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 66.7 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Hamilton County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Hamilton County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20247,916
- Households3,387
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$65,746
- Median age43.9
Common questions
Hamilton County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Hamilton County, Illinois?
The Census Bureau estimates 7,818 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 7,916, in 3,387 households, ranking 89th of 102 Illinois counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Hamilton County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.14 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,989, to 7,818 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 66 births against 112 deaths, with net migration of -23. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Hamilton County?
$65,746. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $113,700, which is 1.7 times income, and median gross rent is $568 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Hamilton County?
175 establishments, employing 1,531 people with an annual payroll of $84.7 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Hamilton County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 166 jobs, 8.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,057 jobs at an average annual pay of $54,483, or $1,048 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Hamilton County?
5 7(a) approvals totaling $3.0 m since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $180,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $221,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Hamilton County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Hamilton County come from?
The largest single origin is Jefferson County, with 30 households. Arriving households report an average income of $52,007 against $43,431 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Hamilton County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Hamilton County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Hamilton County
Cities and places in Hamilton.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Hamilton County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeansboro | city | 2,675 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Dahlgren | village | 595 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Broughton | village | 206 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Belle Prairie City | town | 72 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Macedonia | village | 31 | None recorded | 54.9 percent here, 45.1 percent Franklin County |
Nearby