Starting in the 1770s, if not earlier, the area that is now Kankakee County was largely populated by the Potawatomi.

French Canadian Settlers came to Kankakee County in 1834, after the federal government signed the Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe in 1832.

The six original townships were Yellowhead, Rockville, Bourbonnais, Momence, Aroma Park, and Limestone.

[4] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 113,449 people, 41,511 households, and 28,680 families residing in the county.

Kankakee County has produced three governors: Len Small (R), Samuel H. Shapiro (D), and George H. Ryan (R).

[15] In the 2020 general election, Byrne lost reelection to Democratic candidate Heather Bryan, while Libertarian Jacob Collins was elected unopposed on the Libertarian line continuing Kankakee County's distinction of being the only county with a Libertarian board member[16][17] until Collins opted not to run for reelection in the 2022 general election.

[18] The county is home to Olivet Nazarene University and Kankakee Community College.

The station serves the Illini and Saluki trains to Carbondale as well as the City of New Orleans.