Braidwood is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, approximately 53 miles southwest of Chicago and 18 miles south of Joliet. The population was 5,203 at the 2000 census.Braidwood is the site of the Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant currently owned by Exelon Corporation. It is one of the major employers in the area and provides much of the electricity used in the Chicago area.

Geography

Braidwood is located at 41°16′19″N, 88°13′6″W (41.271982, -88.218221).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.3 km²), of which, 4.6 square miles (12.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (2.73%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,203 people, 1,843 households, and 1,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,124.0 people per square mile (433.9/km²). There were 2,305 housing units at an average density of 497.9/sq mi (192.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.27% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.83% of the population.

There were 1,843 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.