North Cook News

In a list of the 30 most populous counties in Illinois, Cook County ranked No. 1 for the rate of abortions performed there in 2017, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.

The abortion rate for Cook County was 0.41 percent. Peoria had the second highest abortion rate in Illinois in 2017, the department reported.

The report also tracks the age and marital status of the abortion recipient and the pregnancy term at the time of the abortion.

Of the 30 most-populated counties in Illinois, Rock Island, with 144,808 residents, boasted one of the lowest abortion rates, at 0.05 percent.

Adams (county seat: Quincy), Whiteside (Morrison), Knox (Galesburg),  Boone (Belvidere) and Williamson (Marion) reported fewer than 50 abortions in 2017.

Peoria had 462, a rate of 0.25 percent – more than twice the rate in Lake and McHenry counties.

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Abortion rates in Illinois counties

County	Population	Abortions	Per Capita
Cook	5,211,263	21,288	0.41%
Peoria	183,011	462	0.25%
Macon	105,801	267	0.25%
St. Clair	262,479	558	0.21%
McLean	172,290	317	0.18%
Vermilion	77,909	139	0.18%
Sangamon	196,452	348	0.18%
Tazewell	133,526	216	0.16%
Will	692,661	1,079	0.16%
Madison	265,428	393	0.15%
Kane	534,667	775	0.14%
DeKalb	104,733	150	0.14%
DuPage	930,128	1,311	0.14%
Jackson	58,284	82	0.14%
Kankakee	109,605	152	0.14%
La Salle	110,067	148	0.13%
Grundy	50,586	64	0.13%
Winnebago	284,778	350	0.12%
Lake	703,520	811	0.12%
Champaign	209,399	234	0.11%
Kendall	126,218	135	0.11%
McHenry	309,122	326	0.11%
Coles	51,979	52	0.10%
Ogle	51,063	51	0.10%
Rock Island	144,808	75	0.05%
Williamson	67,328	<50	N/A
Adams	66,234	<50	N/A
Whiteside	56,118	<50	N/A
Boone	53,513	<50	N/A
Knox	50,638	<50	N/A

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

Counties with fewer than 50 abortions in a year don't report their precise number.