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Demographics of Peoria, IL
Affluence Level in Peoria, IL
A below-average socioeconomic profile. Incomes, home values, and educational attainment trail the U.S., with higher poverty and unemployment.
People of Peoria, IL
The people of Peoria, Illinois, today number roughly 112,000, forming a city that is notably more diverse than the surrounding region. It is a majority-minority city where just over half the population identifies as White, a quarter as Black, and growing Hispanic and Asian communities add to its character. Peoria’s identity is shaped by its industrial past and its role as a regional hub, creating a population that is both rooted and in transition, with a college-educated rate of 38% that reflects the presence of major employers like Caterpillar and OSF Healthcare.
How the city was settled and grew
Peoria’s population history begins with its location on the Illinois River, a natural transportation corridor that first attracted French fur traders in the late 1600s. The city’s real growth, however, came with the industrial boom of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The arrival of the railroad and the establishment of distilleries, farm implement factories, and later Caterpillar Inc. drew waves of European immigrants. Germans and Irish were among the earliest large groups, settling in the South Side and West Bluff neighborhoods, where they built churches and social halls that still stand. By the early 1900s, Italian and Polish immigrants followed, clustering in the Valley (the area along the riverfront) and the North Side, working in the distilleries and foundries. The Great Migration brought a significant Black population from the South between 1910 and 1950, who settled primarily in the South Side and East Bluff, establishing a vibrant cultural and business corridor along South Washington Street. This period cemented Peoria as a classic Midwestern industrial city, with a population that peaked at over 105,000 in the 1950s and was overwhelmingly White and native-born.
Modern era (post-1965)
The post-1965 era brought profound demographic shifts to Peoria, driven by both domestic and international migration. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act opened doors for new arrivals, but Peoria’s modern diversity also stems from internal migration. The city’s Black population grew steadily through the 1970s and 1980s, reaching its current 25.8% share, with many families moving from the South Side to the East Bluff and North Valley as housing patterns shifted. Suburbanization, meanwhile, pulled many White families to surrounding towns like Dunlap and Washington, leaving Peoria’s core more diverse. Since 2000, the foreign-born share has risen to 6.1%, driven by two distinct groups. East and Southeast Asian communities (3.2% of the population) have grown, with many Vietnamese and Filipino families settling in the West Bluff near the university and medical district. Indian subcontinent residents (also 3.2%) have concentrated in the North Peoria and West Peoria areas, often working in healthcare, engineering, and technology. The Hispanic population (7.6%) has grown steadily, with Mexican and Central American families establishing roots in the South Side and East Bluff, adding new grocery stores and restaurants to those neighborhoods. These groups remain relatively small compared to the national average, but their presence is reshaping Peoria’s cultural landscape.
The future
Peoria’s population is heading toward greater diversity, but at a measured pace. The White share (54.8%) is declining slowly as the city’s overall population has stabilized after decades of loss. The Hispanic and Asian communities are growing, though they are not yet large enough to create the distinct ethnic enclaves seen in larger cities. Instead, Peoria is becoming a city of blended neighborhoods, with the East Bluff and South Side emerging as the most diverse areas. The Indian and East/Southeast Asian populations are likely to continue growing, driven by recruitment at Caterpillar, OSF Healthcare, and Bradley University, while the Hispanic community is expanding through both domestic migration and natural increase. The Black population is stable, with some movement to suburban areas. Over the next 10-20 years, Peoria will likely become a city where no single group holds a majority, but where neighborhoods remain relatively integrated rather than tribalized. The city’s future is one of gradual diversification, not rapid transformation.
For someone moving to Peoria now, the city offers a population that is more diverse and educated than its reputation suggests, but still carries the legacy of its industrial past. It is a place where new arrivals—whether from India, Vietnam, Mexico, or another U.S. city—can find established communities without being isolated in a single enclave. The bottom line: Peoria is becoming a quietly diverse Midwestern city, where the old industrial workforce is giving way to a more professional, multicultural population, and where the neighborhoods reflect that slow but steady change.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-04-23T09:18:09.000Z
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