Which has more people, Cook County, IL or Harris County, TX?

Cook County, IL has a population of 5,200,459 (2nd of 3,094 US counties) and Harris County, TX has 5,093,721 (3rd of 3,094).

How do Cook County, IL and Harris County, TX compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Cook County, IL $83,498 (467th of 3,093), Harris County, TX $74,983 (841st of 3,093) among US counties. Cook County, IL ranks better.

How do Cook County, IL and Harris County, TX compare on Poverty Rate (%)?

Poverty Rate (%): Cook County, IL 13.5% (1,614th of 3,094), Harris County, TX 16.3% (2,139th of 3,094) among US counties. Cook County, IL ranks better.

Where does Cook County, IL beat Harris County, TX most clearly?

Cook County, IL ranks far ahead on Cooling Degree Days per Year (Climate by County (1991–2020 Averages)): 833 vs 3,089; Adults Sleeping Under 7 Hours (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 36.0% vs 41.0%; Adults with Diabetes (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 10.7% vs 13.2%.

Where does Harris County, TX beat Cook County, IL most clearly?

Harris County, TX ranks far ahead on Heating Degree Days per Year (Climate by County (1991–2020 Averages)): 1,309 vs 6,207; Adults Who Binge Drink (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 16.8% vs 19.0%; Average Commute (Minutes) (Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)): 29.0 vs 31.5.

Cook County, IL vs Harris County, TX

Cook County, IL comes out ahead of Harris County, TX on 25 of 36 statistics where one end is better, to 11. Cook County, IL leads on Health and Economics.

36 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Cook County, IL

Wins: 25
Avg. percentile: 43
Categories led: 2

Harris County, TX

Wins: 11
Avg. percentile: 37
Categories led: 0

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US counties.

Statistic	Cook County, IL	Harris County, TX
Population	5,200,459 2nd of 3,094	5,093,721 3rd of 3,094
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	$83,498 467th of 3,093	$74,983 841st of 3,093
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	13.5% 1,614th of 3,094	16.3% 2,139th of 3,094
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by County (BLS)	4.8% tied 2,337th of 3,094	4.5% tied 2,071st of 3,094
Adults Sleeping Under 7 Hours (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	36.0% tied 1,159th of 3,094	41.0% tied 2,505th of 3,094
Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	31.5 2,768th of 3,094	29.0 2,480th of 3,094
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by County (1991–2020 Averages)	6,207 tied 2,163rd of 3,050	1,309 82nd of 3,050
Median Air Quality IndexAir Quality by County (EPA)	53 tied 926th of 960	62 950th of 960

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

HealthCook County, IL · 11 statistics
EconomicsCook County, IL · 9 statistics

Biggest differences

The 22 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 1,547 US counties.

Statistic	Cook County, IL	Harris County, TX
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by County (1991–2020 Averages)	6,207 tied 2,163rd of 3,050	1,309 82nd of 3,050
Cooling Degree Days per YearClimate by County (1991–2020 Averages)	833 tied 1,089th of 3,050	3,089 2,973rd of 3,050
Adults Sleeping Under 7 Hours (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	36.0% tied 1,159th of 3,094	41.0% tied 2,505th of 3,094
Adults Who Binge Drink (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	19.0% tied 2,059th of 2,916	16.8% tied 1,061st of 2,916
Adults with Diabetes (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	10.7% tied 1,416th of 2,916	13.2% tied 2,399th of 2,916
Adults with a Yearly Checkup (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	76.5% tied 1,057th of 2,916	73.3% tied 2,015th of 2,916
Adults with No Leisure-Time Exercise (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	22.8% tied 620th of 2,916	26.9% tied 1,553rd of 2,916
Adults 18–64 Without Health Insurance (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	12.0% tied 1,891st of 2,916	21.5% tied 2,803rd of 2,916
Adults with Obesity (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	31.0% tied 269th of 2,916	37.1% tied 1,156th of 2,916
Adults in Fair or Poor Health (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	18.7% tied 1,128th of 2,916	21.8% tied 1,853rd of 2,916
Median IncomePoorest Counties	$83,498 467th of 2,000	$74,983 841st of 2,000
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	13.5% 1,614th of 3,094	16.3% 2,139th of 3,094
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	$83,498 467th of 3,093	$74,983 841st of 3,093
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (% of Adults 25+)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	42.7% 205th of 3,094	34.2% 498th of 3,094
Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	31.5 2,768th of 3,094	29.0 2,480th of 3,094
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by County (BLS)	4.8% tied 2,337th of 3,094	4.5% tied 2,071st of 3,094
Homes with Broadband Internet (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	90.6% 684th of 3,094	92.1% 433rd of 3,094
Adults with Frequent Mental Distress (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	15.4% tied 162nd of 2,916	16.4% tied 382nd of 2,916
Median Home Value (Capped at $2M)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	$324,500 2,582nd of 3,092	$276,600 2,349th of 3,092
Adults Who Smoke (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	11.2% tied 180th of 2,916	12.6% tied 373rd of 2,916
Adults with Depression (%)Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)	19.0% tied 187th of 2,916	19.5% tied 239th of 2,916
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)	$1,435 2,807th of 3,090	$1,401 tied 2,775th of 3,090

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Cook County, IL or Harris County, TX?: Cook County, IL comes out ahead of Harris County, TX on 25 of 36 statistics where one end is better, to 11. Cook County, IL leads on Health and Economics. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Cook County, IL or Harris County, TX?: Cook County, IL has a population of 5,200,459 (2nd of 3,094 US counties) and Harris County, TX has 5,093,721 (3rd of 3,094).
How do Cook County, IL and Harris County, TX compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Cook County, IL $83,498 (467th of 3,093), Harris County, TX $74,983 (841st of 3,093) among US counties. Cook County, IL ranks better.
How do Cook County, IL and Harris County, TX compare on Poverty Rate (%)?: Poverty Rate (%): Cook County, IL 13.5% (1,614th of 3,094), Harris County, TX 16.3% (2,139th of 3,094) among US counties. Cook County, IL ranks better.
Where does Cook County, IL beat Harris County, TX most clearly?: Cook County, IL ranks far ahead on Cooling Degree Days per Year (Climate by County (1991–2020 Averages)): 833 vs 3,089; Adults Sleeping Under 7 Hours (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 36.0% vs 41.0%; Adults with Diabetes (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 10.7% vs 13.2%.
Where does Harris County, TX beat Cook County, IL most clearly?: Harris County, TX ranks far ahead on Heating Degree Days per Year (Climate by County (1991–2020 Averages)): 1,309 vs 6,207; Adults Who Binge Drink (%) (Health of Adults by County (CDC PLACES)): 16.8% vs 19.0%; Average Commute (Minutes) (Housing, Income and Commutes by County (Census)): 29.0 vs 31.5.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Cook County, IL or Harris County, TX.

All US counties matchups