Stark County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
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 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:41°05′N89°47′W / 41.09°N 89.79°W /41.09; -89.79 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1839 |
| Named after | John Stark |
| Seat | Toulon |
| Largest city | Wyoming |
| Area | |
• Total | 288 sq mi (750 km2) |
| • Land | 288 sq mi (750 km2) |
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km2) 0.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,400 |
• Estimate (2024) | 5,272 [1] |
| • Density | 19/sq mi (7.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 16th |
| Website | www |
Stark County is acounty inIllinois, United States. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 5,400.[2] Itscounty seat isToulon.[3] Stark County is part of thePeoria, Illinois, metropolitan area.
Stark County was formed in 1839 out ofKnox andPutnam counties. It was named for General ColonelJohn Stark, who served in the AmericanContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at theBattle of Bennington in 1777.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 288 square miles (750 km2), of which 288 square miles (750 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (0.1%) is water.[4]
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Toulon have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.41 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.46 inches (113 mm) in June.[5]
Illinois Route 17
Illinois Route 18
Illinois Route 40
Illinois Route 78
Illinois Route 91
Illinois Route 93| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,573 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,710 | 135.9% | |
| 1860 | 9,004 | 142.7% | |
| 1870 | 10,751 | 19.4% | |
| 1880 | 11,207 | 4.2% | |
| 1890 | 9,982 | −10.9% | |
| 1900 | 10,186 | 2.0% | |
| 1910 | 10,098 | −0.9% | |
| 1920 | 9,693 | −4.0% | |
| 1930 | 9,184 | −5.3% | |
| 1940 | 8,881 | −3.3% | |
| 1950 | 8,721 | −1.8% | |
| 1960 | 8,152 | −6.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,510 | −7.9% | |
| 1980 | 7,389 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 6,534 | −11.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,332 | −3.1% | |
| 2010 | 5,994 | −5.3% | |
| 2020 | 5,400 | −9.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 5,272 | [6] | −2.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010[11] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 5,400. The median age was 45.5 years, with 21.9% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.1% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.[12]
As of the2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 95.0%White, 0.3%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, less than 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.5% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.[13]
As of the2020 census, less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
As of the2020 census, there were 2,226 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
As of the2020 census, there were 2,577 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.9%.[12]
| 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) | 7,328 | 6,470 | 6,213 | 5,826 | 5,070 | 99.17% | 99.02% | 98.12% | 97.20% | 93.89% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 17 | 0.05% | 0.08% | 0.06% | 0.47% | 0.31% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 0.15% | 0.12% | 0.16% | 0.15% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 10 | 21 | 12 | 19 | 23 | 0.14% | 0.32% | 0.19% | 0.32% | 0.43% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.09% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 39 | 52 | 145 | x | x | 0.62% | 0.87% | 2.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 35 | 30 | 54 | 59 | 132 | 0.47% | 0.46% | 0.85% | 0.98% | 2.44% |
| Total | 7,389 | 6,534 | 6,332 | 5,994 | 5,400 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 census, there were 5,994 people, 2,425 households, and 1,673 families residing in the county.[24] The population density was 20.8 inhabitants per square mile (8.0/km2). There were 2,674 housing units at an average density of 9.3 per square mile (3.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.[24] In terms of ancestry, 33.5% wereGerman, 15.5% wereIrish, 13.8% wereEnglish, 10.8% wereAmerican, and 9.8% wereSwedish.[25]
Of the 2,425 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 43.8 years.[24]
The median income for a household in the county was $49,195 and the median income for a family was $62,681. Males had a median income of $44,931 versus $29,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,311. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.[26]
Stark County is divided into thesetownships:
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,240 | 50.76% | 824 | 33.73% | 379 | 15.51% |
| 1896 | 1,636 | 60.04% | 1,030 | 37.80% | 59 | 2.17% |
| 1900 | 1,665 | 61.37% | 939 | 34.61% | 109 | 4.02% |
| 1904 | 1,764 | 71.27% | 574 | 23.19% | 137 | 5.54% |
| 1908 | 1,635 | 66.27% | 738 | 29.91% | 94 | 3.81% |
| 1912 | 549 | 23.46% | 669 | 28.59% | 1,122 | 47.95% |
| 1916 | 2,887 | 66.57% | 1,390 | 32.05% | 60 | 1.38% |
| 1920 | 2,750 | 79.57% | 661 | 19.13% | 45 | 1.30% |
| 1924 | 2,698 | 71.07% | 784 | 20.65% | 314 | 8.27% |
| 1928 | 2,966 | 69.09% | 1,306 | 30.42% | 21 | 0.49% |
| 1932 | 2,119 | 46.75% | 2,369 | 52.26% | 45 | 0.99% |
| 1936 | 2,696 | 54.38% | 2,220 | 44.78% | 42 | 0.85% |
| 1940 | 3,393 | 64.94% | 1,818 | 34.79% | 14 | 0.27% |
| 1944 | 3,050 | 68.42% | 1,401 | 31.43% | 7 | 0.16% |
| 1948 | 2,537 | 68.44% | 1,163 | 31.37% | 7 | 0.19% |
| 1952 | 3,398 | 75.51% | 1,100 | 24.44% | 2 | 0.04% |
| 1956 | 3,241 | 74.32% | 1,118 | 25.64% | 2 | 0.05% |
| 1960 | 2,925 | 67.80% | 1,383 | 32.06% | 6 | 0.14% |
| 1964 | 2,117 | 54.38% | 1,776 | 45.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,292 | 62.54% | 1,128 | 30.78% | 245 | 6.68% |
| 1972 | 2,529 | 71.44% | 993 | 28.05% | 18 | 0.51% |
| 1976 | 2,191 | 63.34% | 1,146 | 33.13% | 122 | 3.53% |
| 1980 | 2,358 | 69.76% | 806 | 23.85% | 216 | 6.39% |
| 1984 | 2,228 | 67.15% | 1,072 | 32.31% | 18 | 0.54% |
| 1988 | 1,841 | 58.39% | 1,274 | 40.41% | 38 | 1.21% |
| 1992 | 1,384 | 41.30% | 1,336 | 39.87% | 631 | 18.83% |
| 1996 | 1,278 | 44.62% | 1,262 | 44.06% | 324 | 11.31% |
| 2000 | 1,694 | 56.67% | 1,211 | 40.52% | 84 | 2.81% |
| 2004 | 1,841 | 60.14% | 1,189 | 38.84% | 31 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 1,513 | 51.83% | 1,357 | 46.49% | 49 | 1.68% |
| 2012 | 1,528 | 57.40% | 1,095 | 41.13% | 39 | 1.47% |
| 2016 | 1,778 | 64.82% | 751 | 27.38% | 214 | 7.80% |
| 2020 | 2,004 | 69.44% | 815 | 28.24% | 67 | 2.32% |
| 2024 | 1,983 | 71.72% | 725 | 26.22% | 57 | 2.06% |
Since theAmerican Civil War, Stark County has been heavily Republican, like most ofYankee-influenced Northern Illinois. The only Democratic presidential nominee to carry Stark County in the past 150 years has beenFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, althoughBob Dole won by just sixteen votes againstBill Clinton in 1996, andProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt won the county in 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided between Roosevelt and conservative incumbentWilliam Howard Taft.
This article incorporates text fromStark County and Its Pioneers, by Shallenberger, Eliza Hall, a publication from 1876, now in thepublic domain in the United States.
Places adjacent to Stark County, Illinois | |
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Municipalities and communities ofStark County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
