Illinois Sex Offender Statistics (2026)
As of August 2026, we index about 44,300 sex-offender registry records in Illinois — the 4th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions, at 3.5 per 1,000 residents. These are counts of the records in our continuously updated index, rounded and dated — not Illinois’s official figures.
Illinois against the national average
Registrants we index, with the rate per 1,000 residents (2020 Census population). Neighboring jurisdictions are listed for scale; each links to its own statistics page.
| Jurisdiction | Registrants indexed (approx.) | Per 1,000 residents | Rank by count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | ≈ 44,300 | 3.5 | 4th |
| United States (all 58 registries) | ≈ 1,560,000 | 4.7 | — |
| Indiana | ≈ 14,600 | 2.2 | 16th |
| Iowa | ≈ 7,170 | 2.2 | 30th |
| Kentucky | ≈ 11,000 | 2.4 | 25th |
| Missouri | ≈ 21,500 | 3.5 | 14th |
| Wisconsin | ≈ 27,400 | 4.6 | 11th |
Cite this: ≈44,300 sex-offender registry records indexed in Illinois (3.5 per 1,000 residents) — Offendersearch, Illinois Sex Offender Statistics (August 2026). https://offendersearch.app/sex-offender-statistics/illinois#headline
Illinois at a glance
- About 44,300 registry records indexed, the 4th-largest count of the 56 US jurisdictions.
- That is about 3% of the registrants we index nationwide.
- 3.5 per 1,000 residents, about 27% below the national average of 4.7.
- 20th by rate per resident among jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records.
- Largest local count among the cities we publish pages for: Chicago, about 9,050.
- Largest county count among the counties we publish pages for: Cook County, about 11,340.
Against its neighbors
- Illinois is about 61% above Indiana (3.5 vs 2.2 per 1,000).
- Illinois is about 54% above Iowa (3.5 vs 2.2 per 1,000).
- Illinois is about 42% above Kentucky (3.5 vs 2.4 per 1,000).
- Illinois is close to Missouri (3.5 vs 3.5 per 1,000).
- Illinois is about 26% below Wisconsin (3.5 vs 4.6 per 1,000).
Where Illinois ranks
Illinois holds the 4th-largest count of registrants we index among the 56 US jurisdictions — just behind California (≈62,900) and ahead of Michigan (≈43,300). Illinois's rate of 3.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 20th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. Illinois's rate is higher than 3 of its 5 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 2. Absolute size and per-capita rate order the states very differently — the full rankings are on the count ranking and the per-capita ranking.
Housing status (national estimate). No per-state housing figure is published here, because our housing data is a national sample estimate: across 6,668 sampled records nationwide, 5.7% of registrants with a known housing status were homeless or had no fixed address as of August 2026. That figure describes the country, not Illinois — the breakdown is on the national statistics page.
Where Illinois’s registrants live
The largest local counts among the Illinois cities and counties we publish pages for, with the rate per 10,000 residents so places of different size compare fairly.
| City | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | ≈ 9,050 | 33 |
| Rockford | ≈ 1,255 | 84.4 |
| Peoria | ≈ 1,175 | 103.8 |
| Springfield | ≈ 990 | 86.5 |
| Joliet | ≈ 659 | 43.8 |
| Aurora | ≈ 540 | 29.9 |
| Elgin | ≈ 435 | 37.9 |
| County | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County | ≈ 11,340 | 21.5 |
| Winnebago County | ≈ 1,349 | 47.3 |
| Lake County | ≈ 1,302 | 18.2 |
| Kane County | ≈ 1,186 | 23 |
| Will County | ≈ 1,127 | 16.2 |
| Peoria County | ≈ 1,094 | 60.2 |
| St. Clair County | ≈ 1,013 | 39.4 |
| Sangamon County | ≈ 998 | 50.8 |
What these Illinois numbers measure
Every figure on this page is a count of the registry records in our continuously updated index that carry a Illinois address, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Rates divide that rounded count by the 2020 Census population, so they describe scale, not precision to the last person. Local counts cover the cities and counties we publish pages for, not every town in the state.
Registry sizes are not a direct measure of risk. States set their own rules on who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown to the public, so two states with similar populations can carry very different counts. Use the comparison for context, and a search for any question about a specific person or address.
Illinois's registry publishes a full date of birth, so if you know the person's birthday a match can be confirmed precisely. With a common name, a matching date of birth is the fastest way to tell two people apart.
How to search Illinois’s registry
Illinois’s own public search is Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry, which covers Illinois only. Illinois runs two rosters behind one search form — the sex offender registry and the violent-offender-against-youth registry — and a reader has to notice which list a result came from. A search here covers Illinois and every other US registry in one pass, returns photographs and the official record link for each result, and can be narrowed to a city, county or ZIP — or run outward from a street address.
Illinois registry search guide · Search by address · Alerts when someone moves in
Illinois city figures
Cities where we publish a local count, largest first:
Illinois statistics, answered
How many registered sex offenders live in Illinois?
As of August 2026, we index about 44,300 sex-offender registry records in Illinois — the 4th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions. That is a count of the records in our continuously updated index, not Illinois's official figure: registries add, remove and amend records all the time, so the live answer for a specific person comes from a search, not a table.
How many sex offenders does Illinois have per capita?
About 3.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents, using the 2020 Census population as the denominator. Illinois's rate of 3.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 20th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. A rate describes the size of a registry relative to population — jurisdictions differ in who must register, for how long, and which registrants they publish, so it is a scale comparison rather than a safety measure.
Which Illinois city has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Illinois cities we publish local pages for, Chicago has the most registrants we index, at about 9,050, followed by Rockford (about 1,255). Big cities lead on raw counts because they have more people; the per-10,000 column is the fairer comparison.
Which Illinois county has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Illinois counties we publish pages for, Cook County has the most registrants we index, at about 11,340. Each county page breaks that figure down by city.
How does Illinois compare with neighboring states?
Illinois's rate is higher than 3 of its 5 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 2. Rates differ partly because states set different rules for who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown publicly, so a neighbor comparison describes registry size relative to population rather than relative risk.
Where can I search Illinois's sex offender registry?
Illinois's own public search is Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry, which covers Illinois only. A search here covers Illinois and every other US registry at once, with photographs and links to each official record, and can be narrowed to a Illinois city, county or ZIP.
Are these Illinois's official registry numbers?
No — they are approximate counts of the registrants we index for Illinois, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Jurisdictions count different things (people, registrations, addresses) and publish on their own terms, so no single official national table exists. For a legal or research purpose that requires Illinois's official figure, request it from the state registry authority.
Registry data is not a consumer report, and decisions made on it are regulated in that use.
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