Putnam County, Illinois

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 172 sqmi, of which 160 sqmi is land and 12 sqmi (7.0%) is water. It is the smallest county in Illinois by area.

Climate and weather

|Hennepin, Illinois |13|30|1.14 |19|36|1.15 |29|48|2.15 |39|62|3.24 |50|73|3.62 |59|83|4.20 |64|86|3.78 |62|84|4.32 |53|77|3.62 |41|65|2.71 |31|49|2.48 |19|36|2.04 |access-date=January 27, 2011 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hennepin have ranged from a low of 13 °F in January to a high of 86 °F in July, although a record low of -30 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 104 °F was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.14 in in January to 4.32 in in August.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-180.svg|20px]] Interstate 180
• [[Image:Illinois 18.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 18
• [[Image:Illinois 26.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 26
• [[Image:Illinois 29.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 29
• [[Image:Illinois 71.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 71
• [[Image:Illinois 89.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 89

Adjacent counties

• Bureau County (northwest)
• LaSalle County (east)
• Marshall County (south)

File:Putnam County Illinois 1825.png|Putnam County at the time of its creation in 1825 File:Putnam County Illinois 1827.png|The county split in two portions, 1827-1831 File:Putnam County Illinois 1831.png|Putnam County between 1831 and 1837 File:Putnam County Illinois 1837.png|Putnam between 1837 and 1839 File:Putnam County Illinois 1839.png|Putnam in 1839, reduced to its present borders

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,637. The median age was 47.0 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.8% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.2% of the population.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,426 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.8% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,057 housing units, of which 20.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.2% were owner-occupied and 17.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,006 people, 2,509 households, and 1,734 families residing in the county.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213011901/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17155 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212201805/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17155 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213034335/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17155 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 2,509 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,458 and the median income for a family was $68,875. Males had a median income of $50,205 versus $31,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,004. About 6.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213021534/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17155 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Communities

Villages

• Granville
• Hennepin
• Magnolia
• Mark
• McNabb
• Standard

Unincorporated communities

• Florid
• Moronts
• Mount Palatine (partially in LaSalle)
• Putnam
• Walnut Grove

Townships

Putnam County is divided into four townships:

• Granville
• Hennepin
• Magnolia
• Senachwine

Politics

Prior to 1988, Putnam County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections, backing the Republican candidate in all but three elections from 1892 to 1984. From 1988 to 2012, the county consistently backed Democratic Party presidential candidates, but none fared better than Illinois resident Barack Obama's 56.9% in 2008. However, he failed to win a majority of the county's votes four years later despite winning it overall in his 2012 reelection bid. This foreshadowed what was to come in the 2016 election, as the county swung 21.8 points Republican to back Donald Trump over Illinois-born Hillary Clinton by a margin of 19.9%.

Education

K-12 school districts which cover portions of the county include Henry-Senachwine Consolidated Unit School District 5 and Putnam County Community Unit School District 535. Additionally, two small portions are in the Princeton Elementary School District 115 and the Princeton High School District 500.

References

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "Putnam County, Illinois". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. "About Putnam County". Putnam County, Illinois.
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 – Putnam County, Illinois".
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Putnam County, Illinois".
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Putnam 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. "Here's a map of the US counties that flipped to Trump from Democrats".
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
25. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Putnam County, IL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].