Marshall County, Illinois

History

Marshall County was formed in 1839 out of Putnam County. It was named in honor of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who died in 1835. File:Marshall County Illinois 1839.png|Marshall County at the time of its creation File:Marshall County Illinois 1843.png|Marshall County in 1843, when its eastern border was extended to bring it to its current size

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 399 sqmi, of which 387 sqmi is land and 12 sqmi (2.9%) is water. The county is distinctly bisected by the Illinois River, splitting the county into two uneven sections.

Climate and weather

|Lacon, Illinois |15|32|1.55 |21|38|1.61 |31|51|3.08 |41|64|3.84 |51|75|4.20 |60|84|4.14 |64|87|4.12 |62|85|3.53 |54|79|3.49 |43|67|2.99 |32|50|3.03 |21|37|2.32 |access-date=January 27, 2011 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Lacon have ranged from a low of 15 °F in January to a high of 87 °F in July, although a record low of -27 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 103 °F was recorded in July 2005. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.55 in in January to 4.20 in in May.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-39.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Interstate 39
• [[Image:US 51.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] U.S. Highway 51
• [[Image:Illinois 17.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 17
• [[Image:Illinois 18.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 18
• [[Image:Illinois 26.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 26
• [[Image:Illinois 29.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 29
• [[Image:Illinois 40.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 40
• [[Image:Illinois 89.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 89
• [[Image:Illinois 117.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 117
• [[Image:Illinois 251.svg|x24px|alt=|link=]] Illinois Route 251

Adjacent counties

• Bureau County - northwest
• Putnam County - north
• LaSalle County - east
• Woodford County - south
• Peoria County - southwest
• Stark County - west

National protected area

• Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,742. The median age was 46.2 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian,

There were 4,982 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 19.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,819 housing units, of which 14.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.8% were owner-occupied and 20.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 12,640 people, 5,161 households, and 3,549 families living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213084617/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17123 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212203357/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17123 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213030815/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17123 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 5,161 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 44.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,116 and the median income for a family was $64,781. Males had a median income of $46,793 versus $28,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,991. About 6.8% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213030627/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17123 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Communities

Cities

• Henry
• Lacon
• Toluca
• Wenona

Villages

• Hopewell
• La Rose
• Sparland
• Varna
• Washburn

Unincorporated communities

• Camp Grove
• Hopewell Estates
• La Prairie Center
• Lawn Ridge
• Leeds
• Pattonsburg
• Saratoga Center
• Wilbern

Townships

• Bell Plain
• Bennington
• Evans
• Henry
• Hopewell
• Lacon
• La Prairie
• Richland
• Roberts
• Saratoga
• Steuben
• Whitefield

Politics

In its early days Marshall County was a swing county, voting for winning Whig candidate William Henry Harrison in 1840 but otherwise supporting the Democratic Party until 1852. Its reputation as a swing county was to be sustained with the growth of the Republican Party: it voted for the winning candidate in every election from 1852 to 1912 except 1884 and 1888.

Since World War I, Marshall has generally been a strongly Republican county. Only two Democrats – Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 plus Lyndon Johnson in 1964 – have gained an absolute majority in Marshall County over the past twenty-six elections, although Bill Clinton won pluralities in both his elections.

References

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "Marshall County, Illinois". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". U.S. Government Printing Office.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois- Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 16 (p. 18-28) - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 29-39)".
15. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
16. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Marshall County, Illinois".
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marshall County, Illinois".
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marshall County, Illinois".
19. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
20. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
21. not an option in the 1980 Census
22. not an option in the 1990 Census
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".