Morgan County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Morgan County Courthouse, Jacksonville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:39°43′N90°12′W / 39.71°N 90.2°W /39.71; -90.2 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1823 |
| Named after | Daniel Morgan |
| Seat | Jacksonville |
| Largest city | Jacksonville |
| Area | |
• Total | 572 sq mi (1,480 km2) |
| • Land | 569 sq mi (1,470 km2) |
| • Water | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 32,915 |
• Estimate (2024) | 32,618 [1] |
| • Density | 57.8/sq mi (22.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
Morgan County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 32,915.[2] Itscounty seat isJacksonville.[3]
Morgan County is part of theJacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theSpringfield–Jacksonville–Lincoln, IL Combined Statistical Area.
Morgan County was formed in 1823 out ofGreene andSangamon Counties. It was named in honor of GeneralDaniel Morgan, who defeated the British at theBattle of Cowpens in theAmerican Revolutionary War. General Morgan was serving under GeneralNathanael Greene at Cowpens. Jacksonville was established by European Americans on a 160-acre tract of land in the center of Morgan County in 1825, two years after the county was founded. The founders of Jacksonville, Illinois consisted entirely of settlers fromNew England. These so-calledYankee settlers were descended from theEnglishPuritans who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of theNorthwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of theErie Canal and the end of theBlack Hawk War. The Yankee migration to Illinois was a result of several factors, one of which was the overpopulation of New England. The old stock Yankee population had large families, often bearing up to ten children in one household. Most people were expected to have their own piece of land to farm, and due to the massive and nonstop population boom, land in New England became scarce as every son claimed his own farmstead. As a result, there was not enough land for every family to have a self-sustaining farm, and Yankee settlers began leaving New England for the Midwestern United States. When they arrived in what is now Jacksonville there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education, establishing many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were mostly members of theCongregationalist Church though some wereEpiscopalian. Due to thesecond Great Awakening some of them had converted toMethodism andPresbyterianism while some others becameBaptist, before moving to what is now Jacksonville. Jacksonville, like some other parts ofIllinois, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its early history.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 572 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) (0.6%) is water.[11]
The90th Meridian of Longitude goes through Morgan County, as seen on a road sign at mile 78 of I-72.
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Average temperatures in the county seat of Jacksonville range from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July; a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.35 inches (34 mm) in January to 4.86 inches (123 mm) in May.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 12,714 | — | |
| 1840 | 19,547 | 53.7% | |
| 1850 | 16,064 | −17.8% | |
| 1860 | 22,112 | 37.6% | |
| 1870 | 28,463 | 28.7% | |
| 1880 | 31,514 | 10.7% | |
| 1890 | 32,636 | 3.6% | |
| 1900 | 35,006 | 7.3% | |
| 1910 | 34,420 | −1.7% | |
| 1920 | 33,567 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 34,240 | 2.0% | |
| 1940 | 36,378 | 6.2% | |
| 1950 | 35,568 | −2.2% | |
| 1960 | 36,571 | 2.8% | |
| 1970 | 36,174 | −1.1% | |
| 1980 | 37,502 | 3.7% | |
| 1990 | 36,397 | −2.9% | |
| 2000 | 36,616 | 0.6% | |
| 2010 | 35,547 | −2.9% | |
| 2020 | 32,915 | −7.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 32,618 | [13] | −0.9% |
| US Decennial Census[14] 1790–1960[15] 1900–1990[16] 1990–2000[17] 2010[18] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 32,915. The median age was 42.5 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.[19]
The racial makeup of the county was 87.5%White, 6.0%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.[20]
63.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.2% lived in rural areas.[21]
There were 13,511 households in the county, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.6% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19]
There were 15,031 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.8% were owner-occupied and 30.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.9%.[19]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[22] | Pop 1990[23] | Pop 2000[24] | Pop 2010[25] | Pop 2020[26] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 35,980 | 34,382 | 33,589 | 31,937 | 28,489 | 95.94% | 94.46% | 91.73% | 89.84% | 86.55% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,103 | 1,499 | 1,950 | 2,104 | 1,961 | 2.94% | 4.12% | 5.33% | 5.92% | 5.96% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 43 | 46 | 59 | 67 | 54 | 0.11% | 0.13% | 0.16% | 0.19% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 90 | 124 | 167 | 163 | 266 | 0.24% | 0.34% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.81% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[27] | x[28] | 2 | 6 | 16 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 69 | 60 | 34 | 42 | 84 | 0.18% | 0.16% | 0.09% | 0.12% | 0.26% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[29] | x[30] | 319 | 516 | 1,207 | x | x | 0.87% | 1.45% | 3.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 217 | 286 | 496 | 712 | 838 | 0.58% | 0.79% | 1.35% | 2.00% | 2.55% |
| Total | 37,502 | 36,397 | 36,616 | 35,547 | 32,915 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 35,547 people, 14,104 households, and 8,851 families residing in the county.[31] The population density was 62.5 inhabitants per square mile (24.1/km2). There were 15,515 housing units at an average density of 27.3 per square mile (10.5/km2).[11] The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% white, 6.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population.[31] In terms of ancestry, 25.9% wereGerman, 21.6% wereAmerican, 15.4% wereIrish, and 14.5% wereEnglish.[32] Those citingAmerican ancestry in Morgan County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, in many cases going back tocolonial New England, however mostEnglish Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in many cases since the early sixteen hundreds.[33][34][35][36]
Of the 14,104 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 40.8 years.[31]
The median income for a household in the county was $44,645 and the median income for a family was $59,185. Males had a median income of $43,609 versus $29,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,244. About 11.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.[37]
Morgan County has been reliably Republican from its beginning; the Democratic nominee has gained a plurality only 19% of the time (6 of 32 elections).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 3,471 | 43.68% | 4,006 | 50.41% | 470 | 5.91% |
| 1896 | 4,317 | 49.28% | 4,323 | 49.34% | 121 | 1.38% |
| 1900 | 4,341 | 48.66% | 4,321 | 48.43% | 260 | 2.91% |
| 1904 | 4,248 | 51.65% | 3,343 | 40.64% | 634 | 7.71% |
| 1908 | 4,019 | 48.06% | 3,993 | 47.75% | 351 | 4.20% |
| 1912 | 2,090 | 27.57% | 3,648 | 48.11% | 1,844 | 24.32% |
| 1916 | 7,536 | 50.25% | 7,104 | 47.37% | 358 | 2.39% |
| 1920 | 8,169 | 62.87% | 4,447 | 34.23% | 377 | 2.90% |
| 1924 | 8,223 | 55.40% | 5,721 | 38.54% | 900 | 6.06% |
| 1928 | 10,192 | 63.52% | 5,805 | 36.18% | 49 | 0.31% |
| 1932 | 7,787 | 42.95% | 10,170 | 56.09% | 173 | 0.95% |
| 1936 | 8,844 | 47.02% | 9,800 | 52.10% | 167 | 0.89% |
| 1940 | 10,137 | 52.57% | 9,082 | 47.10% | 64 | 0.33% |
| 1944 | 8,923 | 56.01% | 6,965 | 43.72% | 42 | 0.26% |
| 1948 | 8,398 | 55.05% | 6,798 | 44.56% | 59 | 0.39% |
| 1952 | 10,405 | 61.04% | 6,637 | 38.94% | 4 | 0.02% |
| 1956 | 10,262 | 61.82% | 6,327 | 38.11% | 11 | 0.07% |
| 1960 | 9,791 | 57.38% | 7,259 | 42.54% | 12 | 0.07% |
| 1964 | 7,240 | 43.95% | 9,235 | 56.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 8,902 | 54.52% | 6,281 | 38.47% | 1,144 | 7.01% |
| 1972 | 11,103 | 66.13% | 5,674 | 33.80% | 12 | 0.07% |
| 1976 | 8,885 | 53.88% | 7,403 | 44.90% | 201 | 1.22% |
| 1980 | 10,406 | 61.22% | 5,483 | 32.26% | 1,108 | 6.52% |
| 1984 | 10,683 | 66.37% | 5,361 | 33.30% | 53 | 0.33% |
| 1988 | 8,808 | 59.17% | 6,032 | 40.52% | 46 | 0.31% |
| 1992 | 6,566 | 40.29% | 6,351 | 38.97% | 3,380 | 20.74% |
| 1996 | 6,352 | 44.61% | 6,150 | 43.19% | 1,736 | 12.19% |
| 2000 | 8,058 | 56.22% | 5,899 | 41.15% | 377 | 2.63% |
| 2004 | 9,392 | 61.87% | 5,650 | 37.22% | 138 | 0.91% |
| 2008 | 7,591 | 49.31% | 7,467 | 48.51% | 336 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | 7,972 | 56.37% | 5,806 | 41.06% | 364 | 2.57% |
| 2016 | 9,076 | 61.32% | 4,696 | 31.73% | 1,028 | 6.95% |
| 2020 | 9,950 | 64.89% | 5,076 | 33.11% | 307 | 2.00% |
| 2024 | 9,607 | 65.46% | 4,848 | 33.03% | 222 | 1.51% |
Here is a list of school districts with any territory in the county (all are full K-12 school districts), no matter how slight, even if the schools and/or administrative offices are located in other counties:[39]
Additionally the following state-operated schools are in Morgan County:
Private schools:
Tertiary:
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Municipalities and communities ofMorgan County, Illinois,United States | ||
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