Most diverse counties in Illinois

The United States has a longstanding reputation as being a melting pot (or salad bowl), with its diversity manifesting itself across many different demographics. However, some places across the country are notably more heterogeneous than others.

Stacker compiled a list of the most diverse counties in Illinois using data from using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest Simpson's diversity index score. Simpson's diversity index measures community diversity on a scale of 0 (least diverse) to 1 (most diverse), more on the calculation can be read here.

Think you know which counties in your home state might be the most diverse? Keep reading to see if your predictions are correct.

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Bubba73 (Jud McCranie) // Wikimedia Commons

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#50. Coles County

- Index: 0.134
- Total population: 51,353
- White: 92.9% (47,722)
- Black or African American: 3.9% (2,019)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (111)
- Asian: 1.2% (625)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (20)
- 2 or more races: 1.5% (752)
- Some other Race: 0.2% (104)

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#49. Adams County

- Index: 0.135
- Total population: 66,085
- White: 92.9% (61,406)
- Black or African American: 4.1% (2,731)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4% (297)
- Asian: 0.8% (527)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (14)
- 2 or more races: 1.5% (997)
- Some other Race: 0.2% (113)

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#48. Saline County

- Index: 0.140
- Total population: 23,994
- White: 92.7% (22,234)
- Black or African American: 2.6% (632)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (53)
- Asian: 0.7% (178)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.2% (54)
- 2 or more races: 3.0% (721)
- Some other Race: 0.5% (122)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#47. Pope County

- Index: 0.140
- Total population: 4,203
- White: 92.6% (3,893)
- Black or African American: 4.2% (177)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.0% (0)
- Asian: 0.6% (24)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.5% (63)
- Some other Race: 1.1% (46)

IvoShandor // Wikimedia Commons

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#46. Livingston County

- Index: 0.140
- Total population: 36,040
- White: 92.6% (33,377)
- Black or African American: 4.2% (1,520)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.0% (2)
- Asian: 0.9% (308)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.6% (570)
- Some other Race: 0.7% (263)

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Calvin Beale // Wikimedia Commons

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#45. Iroquois County

- Index: 0.141
- Total population: 27,812
- White: 92.6% (25,746)
- Black or African American: 0.9% (240)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (20)
- Asian: 0.4% (98)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (518)
- Some other Race: 4.3% (1,190)

Teemu08 // Wikimedia Commons

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#44. LaSalle County

- Index: 0.142
- Total population: 109,737
- White: 92.6% (101,568)
- Black or African American: 2.7% (2,937)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (87)
- Asian: 0.7% (792)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (19)
- 2 or more races: 1.8% (1,934)
- Some other Race: 2.2% (2,400)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#43. Marion County

- Index: 0.143
- Total population: 37,743
- White: 92.5% (34,902)
- Black or African American: 3.7% (1,382)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (81)
- Asian: 0.6% (243)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.5% (960)
- Some other Race: 0.5% (175)

Carldaniel // Wikimedia Commons

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#42. McHenry County

- Index: 0.147
- Total population: 307,714
- White: 92.3% (284,009)
- Black or African American: 1.5% (4,481)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (295)
- Asian: 2.8% (8,601)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (56)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (5,957)
- Some other Race: 1.4% (4,315)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#41. Massac County

- Index: 0.166
- Total population: 14,219
- White: 91.1% (12,956)
- Black or African American: 5.8% (830)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.0% (6)
- Asian: 0.2% (29)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.8% (398)
- Some other Race: 0.0% (0)

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#40. Bond County

- Index: 0.168
- Total population: 16,589
- White: 90.9% (15,077)
- Black or African American: 7.6% (1,264)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.5% (84)
- Asian: 0.4% (59)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 0.3% (49)
- Some other Race: 0.3% (56)

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#39. Williamson County

- Index: 0.174
- Total population: 67,102
- White: 90.7% (60,881)
- Black or African American: 4.3% (2,874)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (154)
- Asian: 1.2% (785)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (21)
- 2 or more races: 2.6% (1,721)
- Some other Race: 1.0% (666)

IvoShandor // Wikimedia Commons

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#38. Lee County

- Index: 0.177
- Total population: 34,389
- White: 90.5% (31,133)
- Black or African American: 5.5% (1,881)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (92)
- Asian: 0.6% (193)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% (31)
- 2 or more races: 2.0% (702)
- Some other Race: 1.0% (357)

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#37. Crawford County

- Index: 0.181
- Total population: 18,972
- White: 90.2% (17,119)
- Black or African American: 6.5% (1,231)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (15)
- Asian: 0.3% (61)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% (14)
- 2 or more races: 2.4% (457)
- Some other Race: 0.4% (75)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#36. Morgan County

- Index: 0.185
- Total population: 34,247
- White: 90.0% (30,809)
- Black or African American: 7.0% (2,398)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (88)
- Asian: 0.7% (234)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (2)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (664)
- Some other Race: 0.2% (52)

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#35. McDonough County

- Index: 0.190
- Total population: 30,479
- White: 89.8% (27,372)
- Black or African American: 4.7% (1,442)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (33)
- Asian: 2.1% (653)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.7% (820)
- Some other Race: 0.5% (159)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#34. Schuyler County

- Index: 0.192
- Total population: 6,953
- White: 89.4% (6,219)
- Black or African American: 9.0% (625)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (9)
- Asian: 0.0% (0)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.4% (100)
- Some other Race: 0.0% (0)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#33. Perry County

- Index: 0.211
- Total population: 21,251
- White: 88.4% (18,779)
- Black or African American: 9.1% (1,925)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (27)
- Asian: 0.7% (146)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.5% (310)
- Some other Race: 0.3% (64)

Katherine Johnson from Springfield, IL // Wikimedia Commons

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#32. Logan County

- Index: 0.211
- Total population: 29,003
- White: 88.5% (25,667)
- Black or African American: 6.9% (2,003)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (73)
- Asian: 0.8% (218)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (10)
- 2 or more races: 2.8% (802)
- Some other Race: 0.8% (230)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#31. Cass County

- Index: 0.212
- Total population: 12,493
- White: 88.5% (11,058)
- Black or African American: 5.2% (652)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (22)
- Asian: 0.4% (45)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (1)
- 2 or more races: 1.1% (134)
- Some other Race: 4.7% (581)

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#30. Johnson County

- Index: 0.219
- Total population: 12,494
- White: 87.7% (10,954)
- Black or African American: 11.3% (1,408)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (10)
- Asian: 0.4% (44)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 0.3% (36)
- Some other Race: 0.3% (42)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#29. Warren County

- Index: 0.219
- Total population: 17,146
- White: 88.1% (15,107)
- Black or African American: 2.9% (501)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (38)
- Asian: 2.5% (429)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.1% (197)
- Some other Race: 5.1% (874)

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#28. Lawrence County

- Index: 0.222
- Total population: 16,033
- White: 87.8% (14,073)
- Black or African American: 8.3% (1,331)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 1.0% (163)
- Asian: 0.5% (87)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (308)
- Some other Race: 0.4% (71)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#27. Madison County

- Index: 0.228
- Total population: 264,776
- White: 87.4% (231,440)
- Black or African American: 8.7% (22,999)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (494)
- Asian: 1.1% (2,793)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (27)
- 2 or more races: 2.1% (5,521)
- Some other Race: 0.6% (1,502)

Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois // Wikimedia Commons

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#26. Boone County

- Index: 0.229
- Total population: 53,537
- White: 87.5% (46,852)
- Black or African American: 2.2% (1,184)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (183)
- Asian: 1.2% (632)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.4% (1,291)
- Some other Race: 6.3% (3,395)

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#25. Jefferson County

- Index: 0.230
- Total population: 37,985
- White: 87.3% (33,162)
- Black or African American: 8.4% (3,177)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (73)
- Asian: 1.2% (438)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (5)
- 2 or more races: 2.7% (1,037)
- Some other Race: 0.2% (93)

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#24. Randolph County

- Index: 0.236
- Total population: 32,295
- White: 86.8% (28,031)
- Black or African American: 10.1% (3,252)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (57)
- Asian: 0.6% (190)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (3)
- 2 or more races: 1.5% (473)
- Some other Race: 0.9% (289)

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#23. Stephenson County

- Index: 0.253
- Total population: 45,093
- White: 85.8% (38,702)
- Black or African American: 9.6% (4,334)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (83)
- Asian: 0.8% (382)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 3.1% (1,417)
- Some other Race: 0.4% (175)

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#22. Knox County

- Index: 0.259
- Total population: 50,508
- White: 85.6% (43,219)
- Black or African American: 8.9% (4,485)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.5% (254)
- Asian: 1.1% (554)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 1.8% (901)
- Some other Race: 2.2% (1,095)

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#21. DeKalb County

- Index: 0.286
- Total population: 104,366
- White: 84.0% (87,649)
- Black or African American: 7.9% (8,258)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (102)
- Asian: 2.3% (2,379)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.4% (2,550)
- Some other Race: 3.3% (3,428)

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Michael from Palatine, Illinois // Wikimedia Commons

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#20. McLean County

- Index: 0.296
- Total population: 172,578
- White: 83.3% (143,728)
- Black or African American: 8.4% (14,423)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (355)
- Asian: 5.1% (8,797)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (33)
- 2 or more races: 2.4% (4,072)
- Some other Race: 0.7% (1,170)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#19. Vermilion County

- Index: 0.304
- Total population: 77,563
- White: 82.2% (63,747)
- Black or African American: 14.1% (10,920)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (202)
- Asian: 1.0% (759)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (24)
- 2 or more races: 1.8% (1,362)
- Some other Race: 0.7% (549)

Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons

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#18. Sangamon County

- Index: 0.312
- Total population: 196,861
- White: 81.9% (161,188)
- Black or African American: 12.9% (25,303)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (205)
- Asian: 2.0% (4,006)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% (105)
- 2 or more races: 2.6% (5,214)
- Some other Race: 0.4% (840)

IvoShandor // Wikimedia Commons

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#17. Kendall County

- Index: 0.328
- Total population: 126,054
- White: 81.4% (102,605)
- Black or African American: 7.4% (9,339)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (145)
- Asian: 3.2% (4,045)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 2.7% (3,388)
- Some other Race: 5.2% (6,532)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#16. Brown County

- Index: 0.332
- Total population: 6,628
- White: 79.4% (5,265)
- Black or African American: 19.2% (1,272)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4% (24)
- Asian: 0.0% (0)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 0.3% (23)
- Some other Race: 0.7% (44)

MrHarman // Wikimedia Commons

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#15. Kankakee County

- Index: 0.343
- Total population: 110,637
- White: 79.6% (88,023)
- Black or African American: 15.2% (16,858)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (255)
- Asian: 0.8% (933)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (16)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (2,087)
- Some other Race: 2.2% (2,465)

Farragutful // Wikimedia Commons

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#14. Rock Island County

- Index: 0.343
- Total population: 143,873
- White: 80.2% (115,405)
- Black or African American: 10.4% (14,968)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.4% (582)
- Asian: 2.5% (3,650)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (61)
- 2 or more races: 3.7% (5,266)
- Some other Race: 2.7% (3,941)

Alexbaumgarner // Wikimedia

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#13. Winnebago County

- Index: 0.360
- Total population: 284,819
- White: 78.8% (224,363)
- Black or African American: 13.0% (36,935)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (831)
- Asian: 2.6% (7,530)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (44)
- 2 or more races: 3.3% (9,460)
- Some other Race: 2.0% (5,656)

Archedamian // Wikimedia Commons

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#12. Macon County

- Index: 0.369
- Total population: 105,528
- White: 77.9% (82,154)
- Black or African American: 14.8% (15,658)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (249)
- Asian: 1.0% (1,064)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (19)
- 2 or more races: 5.5% (5,836)
- Some other Race: 0.5% (548)

Neatpete86 // Wikimedia Commons

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#11. DuPage County

- Index: 0.392
- Total population: 929,060
- White: 76.8% (713,707)
- Black or African American: 4.8% (44,755)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (2,016)
- Asian: 11.9% (110,163)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (422)
- 2 or more races: 2.8% (26,328)
- Some other Race: 3.4% (31,669)

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#10. Jackson County

- Index: 0.394
- Total population: 57,977
- White: 76.3% (44,208)
- Black or African American: 15.0% (8,723)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (167)
- Asian: 3.4% (1,996)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% (62)
- 2 or more races: 3.0% (1,736)
- Some other Race: 1.9% (1,085)

edward P. steinburg desnged // Wikimedia Commons

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#9. Lake County

- Index: 0.410
- Total population: 701,473
- White: 75.8% (531,609)
- Black or African American: 6.8% (47,385)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (2,162)
- Asian: 7.7% (54,157)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (285)
- 2 or more races: 2.9% (20,566)
- Some other Race: 6.5% (45,309)

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#8. Peoria County

- Index: 0.437
- Total population: 182,770
- White: 72.7% (132,888)
- Black or African American: 17.8% (32,480)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (499)
- Asian: 4.1% (7,537)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (11)
- 2 or more races: 3.7% (6,685)
- Some other Race: 1.5% (2,670)

Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois // Wikimedia Commons

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#7. Will County

- Index: 0.439
- Total population: 689,315
- White: 73.5% (506,424)
- Black or African American: 11.3% (77,941)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (2,071)
- Asian: 5.5% (37,809)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (229)
- 2 or more races: 3.0% (20,720)
- Some other Race: 6.4% (44,121)

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#6. Kane County

- Index: 0.442
- Total population: 531,376
- White: 73.0% (387,883)
- Black or African American: 5.5% (29,416)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.5% (2,590)
- Asian: 4.1% (21,612)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (240)
- 2 or more races: 2.9% (15,309)
- Some other Race: 14.0% (74,326)

Beyond My Ken // Wikimedia Commons

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#5. Champaign County

- Index: 0.453
- Total population: 209,922
- White: 71.8% (150,820)
- Black or African American: 13.5% (28,283)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (348)
- Asian: 10.8% (22,579)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1% (179)
- 2 or more races: 2.7% (5,576)
- Some other Race: 1.0% (2,137)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#4. Pulaski County

- Index: 0.475
- Total population: 5,510
- White: 65.7% (3,620)
- Black or African American: 30.3% (1,669)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1% (6)
- Asian: 0.1% (7)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (0)
- 2 or more races: 3.6% (198)
- Some other Race: 0.2% (10)

Nyttend // Wikimedia Commons

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#3. Alexander County

- Index: 0.489
- Total population: 6,260
- White: 63.2% (3,954)
- Black or African American: 33.5% (2,094)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.6% (37)
- Asian: 0.0% (0)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.6% (35)
- 2 or more races: 1.9% (118)
- Some other Race: 0.4% (22)

Xing979 // Wikimedia Commons

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#2. St. Clair County

- Index: 0.499
- Total population: 262,338
- White: 64.1% (168,096)
- Black or African American: 29.9% (78,532)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2% (590)
- Asian: 1.5% (3,861)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (69)
- 2 or more races: 3.0% (7,788)
- Some other Race: 1.3% (3,402)

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#1. Cook County

- Index: 0.609
- Total population: 5.2 million
- White: 56.7% (2,946,314)
- Black or African American: 23.4% (1,217,416)
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.3% (14,911)
- Asian: 7.3% (379,444)
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.0% (1,982)
- 2 or more races: 2.7% (138,139)
- Some other Race: 9.6% (500,069)

Most diverse counties in Illinois

#50. Coles County

#49. Adams County

#48. Saline County

#47. Pope County

#46. Livingston County

#45. Iroquois County

#44. LaSalle County

#43. Marion County

#42. McHenry County

#41. Massac County

#40. Bond County

#39. Williamson County

#38. Lee County

#37. Crawford County

#36. Morgan County

#35. McDonough County

#34. Schuyler County

#33. Perry County

#32. Logan County

#31. Cass County

#30. Johnson County

#29. Warren County

#28. Lawrence County

#27. Madison County

#26. Boone County

#25. Jefferson County

#24. Randolph County

#23. Stephenson County

#22. Knox County

#21. DeKalb County

#20. McLean County

#19. Vermilion County

#18. Sangamon County

#17. Kendall County

#16. Brown County

#15. Kankakee County

#14. Rock Island County

#13. Winnebago County

#12. Macon County

#11. DuPage County

#10. Jackson County

#9. Lake County

#8. Peoria County

#7. Will County

#6. Kane County

#5. Champaign County

#4. Pulaski County

#3. Alexander County

#2. St. Clair County

#1. Cook County

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