The Town Files

Macon County, Illinois

101,849 people. The median home is worth $127,300 (typical Illinois town: $156,600) and the median household earns $62,666.

Towns in Macon County

Towns in Macon County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Decatur70,522$99,600$51,59239.2
Mount Zion6,019$201,100$103,36540.7
Forsyth3,734$281,000$112,00041.6

People and housing

Macon CountyTypical Illinois town
Median home value$127,300$156,600
Median rent$847$960
Median household income$62,666$72,500
Median age40.640.4
Bachelor's degree or higher24.4%21.8%
Below the poverty line15.0%9.9%

Jobs and pay

45,051 jobs in 2024, average pay $67,788 a year.

Largest industries in Macon CountyManufacturing10,627 jobs · $106,030Health care & social assistan…5,934 jobs · $62,227Retail4,589 jobs · $35,080Construction3,778 jobs · $76,340Hotels & restaurants3,621 jobs · $22,859Transportation & warehousing2,240 jobs · $69,690
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Macon County0%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023 6%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 602 storm events in Macon County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Macon County by type since 1996Hail139Heat7Drought15Tornado52High Wind29Heavy Snow20Flash Flood43Winter Storm17Excessive Heat7Winter Weather9
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Macon County has been included in 11 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
August 15, 2023Severe StormDR-4728: Severe Storms And Flooding
March 26, 2020BiologicalDR-4489: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3435: Covid-19
February 9, 2007Severe Ice StormDR-1681: Severe Winter Storm
September 7, 2005HurricaneEM-3230: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
May 21, 2002TornadoDR-1416: Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).