What percentage of people rent in Ottawa, IL?

Name: Renters and owners in Ottawa, IL, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

30.3% (±3.7 points) of the occupied homes in Ottawa, IL are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 2,290 renting households against 5,263 that own their home.

In Ottawa, the share of households that rent went from 39.8% in 2015–2019 to 30.3% in 2020–2024 (−9.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 30.3% (±3.7 points)
Renting households: 2,290 (±289)
Median renter income: $34,227 (±$8,115)

Who rents and who owns in Ottawa

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Ottawa	LaSalle County	Illinois	United States
Renter-occupied share	30.3% (±3.7 points)	25.6% (±1.4 points)	32.9% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	2,290 (±289)	11,595 (±690)	1,657,539 (±10,322)	45,017,354
Owning households	5,263 (±379)	33,778 (±705)	3,378,910 (±14,728)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.2)	2.1 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.2)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$34,227 (±$8,115)	$39,487 (±$2,685)	$50,420 (±$471)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$88,264 (±$7,604)	$85,684 (±$1,902)	$103,505 (±$377)	$100,009

In Ottawa, the renter share is higher than in LaSalle County (25.6%).

It is not measurably different from Illinois (32.9%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In LaSalle County, Ottawa ranks 14 of 62 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 507 of 2,751.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Ottawa has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	39.8% (±3.3 points)	30.3% (±3.7 points)	−9.5 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$819 (±$37)	$920 (±$38)	+12.3%	Down after inflation
Median household income	$51,288 (±$5,084)	$71,413 (±$9,059)	+39.2%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Ottawa

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Ottawa
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Ottawa	—	30.3% (±3.7 points)	—
Ottawa Township	2.9 mi	30.0% (±4.1 points)	Not measurably different
Naplate	3.3 mi	34.3% (±11.6 points)	Not measurably different
South Ottawa Township	3.6 mi	24.2% (±5.2 points)	Not measurably different
Rutland Township (LaSalle County)	4.4 mi	21.8% (±6.2 points)	Lower
Fall River Township	4.5 mi	7.5% (±5.2 points)	Lower
Dayton Township	4.7 mi	19.7% (±7.7 points)	Lower
Wallace Township	5.4 mi	4.3% (±4.8 points)	Lower
Grand Ridge	8.2 mi	14.9% (±7.3 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Rutland Township (LaSalle County), IL (21.8%), Fall River Township, IL (7.5%), Dayton Township, IL (19.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across LaSalle County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
8	Naplate	34.3% (±11.6 points)
9	Earl Township	34.0% (±8.3 points)
10	LaSalle Township	33.1% (±5.1 points)
11	Marseilles	31.5% (±7.5 points)
12	Adams Township	31.2% (±12.0 points)
13	Grand Rapids Township	30.8% (±23.4 points)
14	Ottawa	30.3% (±3.7 points)
15	Ottawa Township	30.0% (±4.1 points)
16	Oglesby	29.4% (±6.4 points)
17	Miller Township	28.7% (±25.1 points)
18	Leland	25.5% (±8.1 points)
19	Peru	25.0% (±5.0 points)
20	Peru Township	24.4% (±4.8 points)

Showing 13 of 62 places in LaSalle County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Ottawa

How many renters are there in Ottawa?

Ottawa has an estimated 2,290 (±289) renting households, 30.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Ottawa?

In Ottawa, the share of households that rent went from 39.8% in 2015–2019 to 30.3% in 2020–2024 (−9.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Ottawa?

A renting household in Ottawa has 2.0 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Ottawa?

The median renting household in Ottawa, IL has an income of $34,227 (±$8,115) a year, against $88,264 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Ottawa city, Illinois (place:56926, in state:17).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.