| | Alton, IL | Kankakee, IL | United States |
| Population | 25,902 | 24,903 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.2% | 51.1% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.8% | 48.9% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 38.1 | 35.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 27,901 | 27,524 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 30,496 | 27,491 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 32,905 | 27,575 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -14.6% | -6.6% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -20.8% | -6.9% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,669.5 | 1,659.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 15.5 | 15.0 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 1.3 | 0.5 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Alton, IL | Kankakee, IL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.5% | 7.3% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.9% | 6.7% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.2% | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.6% | 4.4% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.5% | 3.8% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 3.0% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 13.3% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 14.3% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.0% | 5.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 7.3% | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 8.2% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.4% | 3.9% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.6% | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Alton, IL | Kankakee, IL | United States |
| White | 67.1% | 35.9% | 59.4% |
| Black | 25.1% | 39.7% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.6% | 0.8% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 5.0% | 1.7% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 1.9% | 21.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Alton, IL | Kankakee, IL | United States |
| Married Population | 36.6% | 36.9% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 33.8% | 35.5% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.8% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 63.4% | 63.1% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 37.6% | 46.7% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 17.2% | 9.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.7% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.29 | 2.49 | 2.60 |
| Households | 11,097 | 9,408 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 5,853 | 5,692 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 23.2% | 22.2% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 32.2% | 32.7% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 5,244 | 3,716 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 31.4% | 30.4% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 13.3% | 14.8% | 10.8% |