Champaign County, Illinois

Champaign County is a county in Illinois, United States, about 135 miles south of Chicago. It
had a population of 205,865 at the 2020 census, an estimated 209,972 by 2025, and covers 998
square miles (2,585 km2) centred near 40°07′N 88°15′W.

Urbana is the county seat; its postal code is 61801. Champaign, the county’s largest city, sits
next to it. The county holds 2 cities, 20 incorporated villages and 4 census-designated places
across 30 civil townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 17019.

Towns & Villages in Champaign County

Champaign County has 46 named places on record: 2 cities, 20 incorporated villages, 4
census-designated places (CDPs) and 20 unincorporated communities with no local government of
their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural
communities with no formal boundary.

The earlier version of this page also listed Block, Dailey, Fulls, Jimtown, Kenwood, Pauline
and Prospect as unincorporated communities. None of those names appear in the county’s official
place record, so they have been dropped rather than carried forward unverified.

ZIP Codes

• 61820 — Champaign (also serves 61821, 61822, 61824, 61825 and 61826, Champaign postal
  routes)
• 61801 — Urbana (also serves 61802 and 61803, Urbana postal routes)
• 61866 — Rantoul
• 61853 — Mahomet
• 61874 — Savoy
• 61873 — Saint Joseph
• 61880 — Tolono
• 61864 — Philo
• 61877 — Sidney
• 61849 — Homer
• 61878 — Thomasboro
• 61847 — Gifford
• 61859 — Ogden
• 61863 — Pesotum
• 61872 — Sadorus
• 61815 — Bondville
• 61816 — Broadlands
• 61875 — Seymour
• 61871 — Royal
• 61851 — Ivesdale
• 60949 — Ludlow
• 61862 — Penfield
• 61852 — Longview
• 61840 — Dewey
• 61845 — Foosland

The 20 unincorporated communities — Augerville, Deers, Dickerson, Dillsburg, Flatville,
Gerald, Giblin, Leverett, Lotus, Mayview, Mira, Parkville, Rising, Rutherford, Sellers, Staley,
State Road, Tipton, Tomlinson and Wilbur Heights — have no ZIP code of their own; mail there
is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Champaign County sits on a flat glacial plateau in east-central Illinois, 27 miles wide and 36
miles long. Of its 998 square miles, 996 are land and 2.1 are water, roughly 0.2 percent —
low because the county has no large natural lake. Before drainage ditches were dug starting in the
1870s, the flat terrain left much of the county as upland marsh. The county straddles the divide
between the Ohio and Mississippi drainage basins: the Kaskaskia River rises northwest of Champaign
and flows toward the Mississippi, while the Embarras River drains the south side of
Champaign–Urbana toward the Wabash and Ohio systems. Boneyard Creek, running through the
University of Illinois campus, feeds the Saline Branch, a Vermilion River tributary.

McLean County lies to the northwest, Ford County to the north, Vermilion County to the east,
Edgar County to the southeast, Douglas County to the south, and Piatt County to the west.
McLean County,
Ford County,
Vermilion County,
Edgar County,
Douglas County and
Piatt County all border Champaign
directly.

Demographics

Champaign County had a population of 205,865 at the 2020 census, up from 201,081 in 2010, and
the latest estimate puts the county near 209,972 residents. Champaign and Urbana are by far the
two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s population, with Rantoul
and Mahomet the next largest. Illinois’s statewide median household income is $80,306 (2023 ACS).
Population density works out to roughly 207 people per square mile of land, driven almost entirely
by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus at the county’s centre.

Economy & Local Life

The University of Illinois anchors the county’s economy, and its Research Park has helped grow
information technology, micro/nanotechnology, bio-imaging, health care and logistics employment
around the campus. Other historically major employers include Carle Foundation Hospital,
Champaign Community Unit School District 4, Kraft Heinz, OSF Healthcare, Parkland College, Kirby
Foods, Christie Clinic, Urbana School District 116 and FedEx. Rantoul, in the county’s north, has
rebuilt its economy around logistics and light industry since Chanute Air Force Base closed there
in the 1990s. The county’s biggest annual event is the University of Illinois’s spring
commencement week each May, which fills Champaign–Urbana’s hotels beyond any other weekend
of the year.

History

Illinois organised Champaign County in 1833, carving it out of Vermilion County. Township
government followed on November 8, 1859. The arrival of the Illinois Central Railroad’s Chicago
branch spurred the county’s growth, and the establishment of the University of Illinois as the
state’s land-grant university in 1867 shaped it further. The county’s north side took an economic
and demographic hit when Chanute Air Force Base, near Rantoul, closed in the 1990s.

Getting There

Interstates 57, 72 and 74 all cross the county; I-57 and I-74 meet at Champaign. US 45, US 136
and US 150 also run through the county, along with Illinois routes 10, 47, 49 and 130.

• Danville — about 35 miles east
• Decatur — about 40 miles west
• Bloomington — about 50 miles northwest
• Chicago — about 135 miles north

University of Illinois Willard Airport, on the south side of Champaign–Urbana, is the
county’s commercial airport. Rantoul National Aviation Center and Frasca Field in Urbana handle
general aviation. Amtrak’s Illini and Saluki trains stop daily at the Illinois Terminal in downtown
Champaign and at Rantoul station, and the City of New Orleans train also calls at the Illinois
Terminal on its run between Chicago and New Orleans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Champaign County located?
It sits in east-central Illinois, about 135 miles south of Chicago, bordered by McLean, Ford,
Vermilion, Edgar, Douglas and Piatt counties.

What is the population of Champaign County?
205,865 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 209,972.

How big is Champaign County?
998 square miles (2,585 km2), of which 996 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Champaign County?
Urbana is the county seat; Champaign, next door, is the county’s largest city.

How many towns are in Champaign County?
Two cities and 20 incorporated villages, plus 4 census-designated places and 20 unincorporated
communities.

What ZIP codes does Champaign County use?
61820–61826 for Champaign, 61801–61803 for Urbana, and separate codes for each of the
county’s other incorporated towns — see the ZIP Codes table above.

What is Champaign County known for?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which sits between its two host cities and drives
most of the county’s population and economy.

More counties in this state: Towns
and villages in Illinois.