Poplar Grove, Illinois

January 2008 tornado

On January 7, 2008, on an unusually warm day which saw temperatures reach the mid 60s °F, a tornado struck northern Illinois, including Poplar Grove and Candlewick Lake. The tornado severely damaged a favorite local attraction, Edward's Apple Orchard. There was one serious injury reported and the damage was widespread. The tornado was later rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. A weather event this big had not occurred in the area since 1967. The tornado was one of the only eight rated EF3 during the time span of the warm weather, which lasted from January 7 to 10. Although there were no losses, it was still a very severe storm. The following month the cast of the television show "Storm Chasers" visited Caledonia Elementary School to talk about tornadoes and the effects they have on communities. The students and the "Storm Chasers" were featured on a Rockford's "23 WIFR News" story on the January 2008 tornado.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Poplar Grove had a population of 5,049 people, 1,709 households, and 1,310 families. The median age was 37.0 years. 29.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over. The population density was 658.11 inhabitants per square mile (254.10/km²). There were 1,787 housing units at an average density of 232.92 per square mile (89.93/km²).^[10][11][12]

15.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 84.9% lived in rural areas.^[13]

Of the 1,787 housing units, 4.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.^[11]

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the village was $74,896, and the median income for a family was $79,115. Males had a median income of $65,208 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $38,756. About 5.3% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.