Marion County, Illinois | |
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 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:38°39′N88°55′W / 38.65°N 88.92°W /38.65; -88.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1823 |
| Named after | Francis Marion |
| Seat | Salem |
| Largest city | Centralia |
| Area | |
• Total | 576 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Land | 572 sq mi (1,480 km2) |
| • Water | 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 37,729 |
• Estimate (2024) | 36,437 [1] |
| • Density | 66.0/sq mi (25.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
Marion County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 37,729.[2] Itscounty seat isSalem.[3] Marion County comprises theCentralia, ILMicropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in theSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington,MO-ILCombined Statistical Area.
Marion County was organized on January 24, 1823, from portions ofJefferson andFayette counties. It was named in honor ofRevolutionary War Gen.Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox".[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 572 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5]
The southwest corner of Marion County is the intersection of the Baseline with the Third Principal Meridian, the point of origin for the third survey of the Northwest Territory under theLand Ordinance of 1785. The origin is marked with a boulder south ofCentralia just off U.S. 51.
| Salem, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Salem have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.46 inches (62 mm) in January to 4.37 inches (111 mm) in May.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,125 | — | |
| 1840 | 4,742 | 123.2% | |
| 1850 | 6,720 | 41.7% | |
| 1860 | 12,739 | 89.6% | |
| 1870 | 20,622 | 61.9% | |
| 1880 | 23,686 | 14.9% | |
| 1890 | 24,341 | 2.8% | |
| 1900 | 30,446 | 25.1% | |
| 1910 | 35,094 | 15.3% | |
| 1920 | 37,497 | 6.8% | |
| 1930 | 35,635 | −5.0% | |
| 1940 | 47,989 | 34.7% | |
| 1950 | 41,700 | −13.1% | |
| 1960 | 39,349 | −5.6% | |
| 1970 | 38,986 | −0.9% | |
| 1980 | 43,523 | 11.6% | |
| 1990 | 41,561 | −4.5% | |
| 2000 | 41,691 | 0.3% | |
| 2010 | 39,437 | −5.4% | |
| 2020 | 37,729 | −4.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 36,437 | [7] | −3.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 37,729. The median age was 42.7 years, with 22.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.2% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males age 18 and over.[13]
52.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.8% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 15,620 households in the county, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.8% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 17,358 housing units, of which 10.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.7% were owner-occupied and 26.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.1%.[13]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[15] | Pop 1990[16] | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 41,487 | 39,477 | 38,951 | 36,456 | 33,150 | 95.32% | 94.99% | 93.43% | 92.44% | 87.86% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,518 | 1,507 | 1,593 | 1,536 | 1,509 | 3.49% | 3.63% | 3.82% | 3.89% | 4.00% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 68 | 106 | 85 | 105 | 94 | 0.16% | 0.26% | 0.20% | 0.27% | 0.25% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 138 | 227 | 235 | 224 | 349 | 0.32% | 0.55% | 0.56% | 0.57% | 0.93% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 15 | 9 | 1 | x | x | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 42 | 12 | 26 | 11 | 97 | 0.10% | 0.03% | 0.06% | 0.03% | 0.26% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 408 | 554 | 1,817 | x | x | 0.98% | 1.40% | 4.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 270 | 232 | 378 | 542 | 712 | 0.62% | 0.56% | 0.91% | 1.37% | 1.89% |
| Total | 43,523 | 41,561 | 41,691 | 39,437 | 37,729 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 39,437 people, 16,148 households, and 10,746 families residing in the county.[24] The population density was 68.9 inhabitants per square mile (26.6/km2). There were 18,296 housing units at an average density of 32.0 per square mile (12.4/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 93.1% white, 3.9% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population.[24] In terms of ancestry, 27.5% wereGerman, 15.8% wereIrish, 13.6% wereEnglish, and 10.8% wereAmerican.[25]
Of the 16,148 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 41.4 years.[24]
The median income for a household in the county was $38,974 and the median income for a family was $50,518. Males had a median income of $41,428 versus $28,042 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,493. About 12.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.[26]
Marion County is divided into seventeentownships:
Initially a strongly Democratic anti-Yankee county, Marion County has undergone two transitions. Between 1912 and 2004 it was a perfectbellwether apart from the Catholicism-influenced 1960 election when substantial anti-Catholic voting by its largely southern white population caused it to support RepublicanRichard Nixon. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century it has voted consistently for Republican presidential candidates.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,324 | 39.88% | 2,709 | 46.49% | 794 | 13.63% |
| 1896 | 2,870 | 42.32% | 3,835 | 56.55% | 77 | 1.14% |
| 1900 | 3,221 | 43.88% | 3,928 | 53.51% | 191 | 2.60% |
| 1904 | 3,190 | 47.25% | 2,490 | 36.88% | 1,071 | 15.86% |
| 1908 | 3,435 | 43.14% | 4,001 | 50.24% | 527 | 6.62% |
| 1912 | 1,586 | 20.10% | 3,493 | 44.26% | 2,813 | 35.64% |
| 1916 | 6,438 | 42.99% | 7,892 | 52.70% | 646 | 4.31% |
| 1920 | 6,620 | 52.06% | 4,351 | 34.22% | 1,744 | 13.72% |
| 1924 | 5,889 | 44.01% | 4,768 | 35.63% | 2,724 | 20.36% |
| 1928 | 9,110 | 60.52% | 5,823 | 38.69% | 119 | 0.79% |
| 1932 | 6,276 | 36.11% | 10,791 | 62.09% | 313 | 1.80% |
| 1936 | 8,321 | 42.79% | 10,820 | 55.64% | 305 | 1.57% |
| 1940 | 10,461 | 42.74% | 13,807 | 56.41% | 208 | 0.85% |
| 1944 | 9,408 | 47.90% | 10,079 | 51.32% | 153 | 0.78% |
| 1948 | 7,798 | 46.19% | 8,878 | 52.58% | 208 | 1.23% |
| 1952 | 10,804 | 53.64% | 9,317 | 46.26% | 19 | 0.09% |
| 1956 | 10,813 | 55.78% | 8,551 | 44.11% | 21 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 11,121 | 54.92% | 9,116 | 45.02% | 13 | 0.06% |
| 1964 | 7,060 | 36.35% | 12,363 | 63.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 8,134 | 46.09% | 7,737 | 43.84% | 1,778 | 10.07% |
| 1972 | 10,755 | 60.58% | 6,968 | 39.25% | 31 | 0.17% |
| 1976 | 8,729 | 46.63% | 9,834 | 52.53% | 157 | 0.84% |
| 1980 | 10,969 | 58.73% | 6,990 | 37.42% | 719 | 3.85% |
| 1984 | 11,300 | 59.65% | 7,599 | 40.11% | 46 | 0.24% |
| 1988 | 8,695 | 50.05% | 8,592 | 49.46% | 86 | 0.50% |
| 1992 | 5,764 | 30.52% | 9,669 | 51.20% | 3,450 | 18.27% |
| 1996 | 5,999 | 38.06% | 7,792 | 49.43% | 1,972 | 12.51% |
| 2000 | 8,240 | 49.45% | 8,068 | 48.42% | 355 | 2.13% |
| 2004 | 9,413 | 54.65% | 7,694 | 44.67% | 117 | 0.68% |
| 2008 | 8,691 | 49.92% | 8,345 | 47.93% | 374 | 2.15% |
| 2012 | 9,248 | 58.46% | 6,225 | 39.35% | 347 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 11,859 | 69.36% | 4,369 | 25.55% | 870 | 5.09% |
| 2020 | 12,678 | 72.47% | 4,524 | 25.86% | 292 | 1.67% |
| 2024 | 12,409 | 73.85% | 4,116 | 24.50% | 278 | 1.65% |
Places adjacent to Marion County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMarion County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Central city | ||
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