Stephenson County, Illinois
County seat: Freeport · Population 43,220 (2025) · 564 sq mi
Stephenson County is the 33rd most populous of Illinois's 102 counties, with 43,220 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Freeport. It is part of the Northern Stateline region, one of the 10 Illinois economic development regions (DCEO). The map shows its 11 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Stephenson County facts
- County seat
- Freeport
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 43,220 −3.3% since 2020
- Land area
- 564 sq mi 43rd largest of 102
- Water area
- 1 sq mi
- Population density
- 77 per sq mi
- Established
- 1837
- Named after
- Benjamin Stephenson American politician (1769-1822)
- Largest city
- Freeport 23,202
- Median household income
- $64,043
- Cities and towns
- 11 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 19
- Time zone
- Central
- FIPS code
- 17177
Cities and towns in Stephenson County
Stephenson County has 11 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Stephenson County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport (county seat) | City | 23,202 | |
| Lena | Village | 2,670 | |
| Pearl City | Village | 760 | |
| Orangeville | Village | 742 | |
| Cedarville | Village | 646 | |
| Davis | Village | 571 | |
| Dakota | Village | 480 | |
| German Valley | Village | 417 | |
| Rock City | Village | 285 | |
| Winslow | Village | 277 | |
| Ridott | Village | 123 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Summerset | 1,217 | Winnebago County |
| Willow Lake | 764 | |
| Baileyville | 52 | Ogle County |
ZIP codes in Stephenson County
19 ZIP codes reach into Stephenson County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 61007 also Ogle County
- 61013
- 61018
- 61019 also Winnebago County
- 61027
- 61032
- 61039 also Ogle County
- 61044 also Jo Daviess County
- 61047 also Ogle and Winnebago counties
- 61048 also Jo Daviess County
- 61050
- 61060
- 61062 also Jo Daviess and Carroll counties
- 61063 also Winnebago County
- 61067
- 61070
- 61078 also Carroll and Ogle counties
- 61087 also Jo Daviess County
- 61089 also Jo Daviess County
Population of Stephenson County, 2020–2025
Stephenson County shrank by 1,476 people (−3.3%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 991 more deaths than births and a net loss of 479 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 44,570 |
| 2021 | 44,152 |
| 2022 | 43,720 |
| 2023 | 43,517 |
| 2024 | 43,422 |
| 2025 | 43,220 |
Neighboring counties
- Green County, Wisconsin north · 37,227 people
- Jo Daviess County west · 21,594 people
- Winnebago County east · 283,674 people
- Ogle County southeast · 51,399 people
- Carroll County southwest · 15,419 people
- Lafayette County, Wisconsin northwest · 17,478 people
Printable Stephenson County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (97 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (66 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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