Perry County, Illinois
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Perry County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,945.[1] Its county seat is Pinckneyville.[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known as "Little Egypt".
History
Perry County was formed in 1827 out of Jackson and Randolph counties. It was named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British fleet at the decisive Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
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Perry County at the time of its creation in 1827
In its early history, Perry County was mainly an inland pioneer outpost. Early settlers, including some Revolutionary War veterans bearing land grants, moved here from the Eastern United States. These were primarily Protestant settlers. Growth boomed in the 1850s for two reasons: construction of the Illinois Central Railroad through the eastern portion of the county, and the discovery of large coal reserves. Immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Germany, Italy and elsewhere steadily increased the county's population from 1850 through the 1920s. African Americans also were established in the county during northward migration following the Civil War.
Mining continued to be the dominant employment sector through the 1990s.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (1.2%) is water.[3]
Perry County is located in Southern Illinois. Pinckneyville, at the center of the county, is approximately Script error: No such module "convert". southeast of St. Louis, Missouri and Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of Chicago. The Mississippi River lies about Script error: No such module "convert". west and southwest of the County at its closest point.
The county's topography is mainly flat with some rolling hills. The part of the county's eastern border, the part shared with Franklin County, is formed by the Little Muddy River. Beaucoup Creek runs north to south through the county and lies just east of Pinckneyville.
The county's topography also features many "strip cut" lakes, lakes left behind following above-ground coal mining. Lakes at two of the county's chief recreation areas, the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds and Pyramid State Recreation Area, were formed this way.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pinckneyville have ranged from a low of Script error: No such module "convert". in January to a high of Script error: No such module "convert". in July, although a record low of Script error: No such module "convert". was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of Script error: No such module "convert". was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Script error: No such module "convert". in February to Script error: No such module "convert". in May.[4]
Public transit
Major highways
- File:US 51.svg U.S. Route 51
- File:Illinois 4.svg Illinois Route 4
- File:Illinois 13.svg Illinois Route 13
- File:Illinois 14.svg Illinois Route 14
- File:Illinois 127.svg Illinois Route 127
- File:Illinois 150.svg Illinois Route 150
- File:Illinois 152.svg Illinois Route 152
- File:Illinois 154.svg Illinois Route 154
Adjacent counties
- Washington County - north
- Jefferson County - northeast
- Franklin County - east
- Jackson County - south
- Randolph County - west
Demographics
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| Census | Pop. | Template:Sronly | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 1,215 | — | |
| 1840 | 3,222 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1850 | 5,278 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1860 | 9,552 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1870 | 13,723 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1880 | 16,007 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1890 | 17,529 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1900 | 19,830 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1910 | 22,088 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1920 | 22,901 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1930 | 22,767 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1940 | 23,438 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1950 | 21,684 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1960 | 19,184 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1970 | 19,757 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1980 | 21,714 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1990 | 21,412 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2000 | 23,094 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2010 | 22,350 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2020 | 20,945 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 20,272 | [5] | Script error: No such module "String".% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10] | |||
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,945. The median age was 42.0 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 117.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 121.1 males age 18 and over.[11]
The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% White, 8.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.[12]
28.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.7% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 8,014 households in the county, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.5% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 9,123 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.5% were owner-occupied and 22.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.4%.[11]
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[14] | Pop 1990[15] | Pop 2000[16] | Pop 2010[17] | Pop 2020[18] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,138 | 20,812 | 20,563 | 19,463 | 17,779 | 97.35% | 97.20% | 89.04% | 87.08% | 84.88% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 418 | 387 | 1,849 | 1,856 | 1,653 | 1.93% | 1.81% | 8.01% | 8.30% | 7.89% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 21 | 23 | 46 | 43 | 34 | 0.10% | 0.11% | 0.20% | 0.19% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 33 | 63 | 63 | 87 | 125 | 0.15% | 0.29% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.60% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [19] | x [20] | 4 | 8 | 1 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 26 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 0.12% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.07% | 0.16% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [21] | x [22] | 156 | 278 | 605 | x | x | 0.68% | 1.24% | 2.89% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 78 | 120 | 406 | 599 | 714 | 0.36% | 0.56% | 1.76% | 2.68% | 3.41% |
| Total | 21,714 | 21,412 | 23,094 | 22,350 | 20,945 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 22,350 people, 8,335 households, and 5,622 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 9,426 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert"..[3] The racial makeup of the county was 87.9% white, 8.3% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.[23] In terms of ancestry, 32.8% were German, 14.3% were Irish, 10.6% were English, 8.1% were American, and 6.3% were Polish.[24]
Of the 8,335 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.4 years.[23]
The median income for a household in the county was $40,696 and the median income for a family was $50,130. Males had a median income of $40,768 versus $28,377 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,926. About 11.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.[25]
Communities
Perry County never adopted a township form of government. Federal township plats were prepared for each township which include legal descriptions of 14 townships.[26]
Perry County has been divided into precincts: Beaucoup, Cutler, Denmark, DuQuoin, Paradise, Pinckneyville, Sunfield, Swanwick, Tamaroa and Willisville.[27] To provide election precincts of similar population based on recent census data, precincts are divided or combined to form election precincts. The election precincts in 2020 were: Beaucoup, Cutler, Du Quoin Number 1, Du Quoin Number 2, Du Quoin Number 3, Du Quoin Number 4, Du Quoin Number 5, Du Quoin Number 6, Du Quoin Number 7, Du Quoin Number 8, Du Quoin Number 9, Du Quoin Number 10, Du Quoin Number 11, Du Quoin Number 12, Pinckneyville Number 1, Pinckneyville Number 2, Pinckneyville Number 3, Pinckneyville Number 4, Pinckneyville Number 5, Pinckneyville Number 6, Pinckneyville Number 7, Pinckneyville Number 8, Sunfield, Swanwick, Tamaroa Number 1, Tamaroa Number 2, and Willisville.[28]
Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Politics
Perry County has been reliably Republican county since 2012, when it backed Mitt Romney (R) by nearly 18 points over Illinois native Barack Obama, even as Obama won both Illinois and the country. By 2020 it was so heavily Republican that incumbent Donald Trump beat Democrat Joe Biden by nearly 45 points in his bid for reelection, even as Biden won the race nationally (and Illinois). The county last voted blue, by a very narrow margin of 0.6%, in 2000. The table below includes a list of Perry County's election results at the presidential level. Template:PresHead As of February 2025, the county is one of 7 that voted to join the state of Indiana.[29]
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See also
References
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- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ T4S_R1W_3PM (1). Perry County Township Plats. U.S. Surveyor General's Records for Illinois: Federal Township Plats. Illinois State Archives. Accessed July 25, 2021.
- ↑ Perry County, IL History. Accessed Jul 2021.
- ↑ Illinois Gazetteer: Perry County. Hometown Locator. Accessed July 2021.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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