Mokena's Population Rises Above 20,000

MOKENA, IL - Mokena is a village with more than 20,000 residents for the first time ever. The results of the special census conducted by the village in October have been revealed this week, with the population of the community now standing at 20,305. That's an 8.4 percent increase from the 18,740 population the village showed in the U.S. Census Bureau's decennial census in 2010.

"The results are eye-opening," officials from the village stated in a news release on Tuesday.

The census, paid for by the village and held in early October of 2017, was a partial count of the village population "concentrated primarily in the village’s newer subdivisions," according to the release.

The new numbers show that Mokena added 1,565 new residents over the past seven-and-a-half years. Village officials recently received official certification of the final population numbers from the Illinois Secretary of State's Office.

Reaching 20,000 residents is not only good for civic pride, it also means additional revenue for the village to be used "on service level needs" like police protection and road maintenance. The new revenues that will come in from the state as a result of the new population are expected to be approximately $216,393, the village stated. Until the next official census in 2020, the village estimates it will take in more than $500,000 in gross revenues as a result of the special census.

The sharp rise in Mokena's population continues an upward trend in growth. Numbers show the village has increased its population every decade since 1900, and more than doubling the number of residents since 1990.

The village paid about $110,000 to hold the special census.

Patch file photo / Tim Moran