2025

Cities in Knox County, IL ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 16 cities in Knox County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Knox County

  • 1
    Galesburg
    White population in Galesburg is 24,603
    76.54% of Galesburg population is White
  • 2
    Abingdon
    White population in Abingdon is 3,343
    95.76% of Abingdon population is White
  • 3
    Knoxville
    White population in Knoxville is 3,107
    95.54% of Knoxville population is White
  • 4
    Wataga
    White population in Wataga is 766
    92.29% of Wataga population is White
  • 5
    Oneida
    White population in Oneida is 729
    92.75% of Oneida population is White

List of 16 cities in Knox County, IL by White Population

Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Knox County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Galesburg 24,603 76.54% 68.17%
2 Abingdon 3,343 95.76% 9.26%
3 Knoxville 3,107 95.54% 8.61%
4 Wataga 766 92.29% 2.12%
5 Oneida 729 92.75% 2.02%
6 East Galesburg 669 96.40% 1.85%
7 Yates City 601 92.32% 1.67%
8 519 98.48% 1.44%
9 430 85.32% 1.19%
10 356 49.44% 0.99%
10 356 49.44% 0.99%
11 255 100.00% 0.71%
12 242 84.03% 0.67%
13 207 92.00% 0.57%
14 143 98.62% 0.40%
15 123 99.19% 0.34%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Knox County, IL by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Knox County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.