Population, Race and Ethnicity
Brighton is a village spanning Macoupin County and Jersey County in Illinois with a population of 2,215. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 97.10% of residents identify as white, 0.40% as Black or African American, 0.20% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.00% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1.40% as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.90% as some other race or combination of races.
Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.
Ancestry
Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Brighton include German, Irish, English, American, and Italian. Measured by location quotient — comparing the village share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in village are British, German, and Welsh.
Native and foreign-born population
An estimated 99.40% of Brighton residents are native-born, meaning they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area, or abroad to a U.S. citizen. Of the 0.60% of the population that is foreign-born, 0.00% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Nationwide, 86.5% of Americans are native-born. And of the 13.5% of Americans who are foreign-born, 48.5% have become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Age
The population of Brighton is older than the United States as a whole. The median age is 39 years, 1.1 years more than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 15.80% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.
Family and household composition
Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Brighton, 53.70% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 1.30% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.40% by single female householders, and 32.60% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 80.10% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.
Language spoken
English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Illinois and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Brighton, 100% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 91.3% of the 5 and older population across Illinois only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.
Marital status
Residents of Brighton are more likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 54.7% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across Illinois as a whole, 47.7% of residents 15 and older are married.
Divorce is more common in Brighton than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 13.5% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In Illinois, 9.7% of the 15 and older population is divorced.
An estimated 22.3% of Brighton residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.
Veterans
In Brighton, 12.4% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 6% of the civilian population in all of Illinois.
Educational attainment
In Brighton, adults are more likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, but are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Brighton residents 25 and older, 92.00% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 15.50% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across Illinois, 88.9% of adults have graduated high school, and 34.1 have a bachelor’s degree.
Income
The typical household in Brighton earns $66,161 a year, about $5,900 more than the national median of $60,293 and $2,600 more than the median household income across the state of $63,575.
Poverty
Serious financial hardship is less common in Brighton than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 10.20%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 13.1% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Read More About Population and Demographics
24/7 Wall St. has published population and demographic data for all 50 states and over 29,000 cities across the country. Search for a city or state to view here:
See a list of all available cities in Illinois by clicking here.More Topics
Click here to see detailed analysis about crime in every state.Click here to see detailed analysis about cost of living in every state.
Click here to see updated data about coronavirus in every state.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.