Cook County

Also known as Cook County, Illinois, Crook County, Cook County, IL

county in Illinois, United States

AI overview

Cook County is a county located in Illinois that includes the city of Chicago and surrounding areas. It is significant as one of the largest and most populous counties in the United States, playing a major role in the state's economy and politics.

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Wikidata facts

Official name: Cook County
Population: 5275541
Area: 4235
Elevation: 950
Official website: www.cookcountyil.gov
Image: Daley Plaza 060716.jpg
Households: 1991474

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Commons category: Cook County, Illinois
water as percent of area: 42.2
native label: Cook County
inception: 1831-01-15
per capita income: 39239
P12749: Kampong Cham Province

Sources (13)

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Article

Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2020, the population was 5,275,541. The county seat is Chicago, the most populous city in Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. The county is at the center of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Cook County was incorporated in 1831 and named for Daniel Pope Cook, an early Illinois statesman. It achieved its present boundaries in 1839. Within a century, the county recorded explosive population growth, going from a trading post village with a little over six hundred residents to four million, rivaling Paris by the Great Depression. During the first half of the 20th century, it had the absolute majority of Illinois's population.