Champaign County was organized in 1833, having been previously a part ofVermilion County.[4] The development of the county was greatly furthered by the arrival of the Chicago Branch of theIllinois Central Railroad, and even more by the establishment of the land-grant university. Later, the county also got anairport and amass transit district. The northern part of the county experienced an economic and demographic setback with the closing ofChanute Air Force Base in the 1990s. In the 2004 Presidential election, it was one of only 15 of the 102 Illinois counties whereJohn Kerry received a majority of the vote (50.37%).[5]
Champaign County at the time of its creation in 1833
The county is 27 miles wide (east–west) and 36 miles long (north–south).[6] Its area is 998 square miles (2,580 km2), of which 996 square miles (2,580 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[7] It is the fifth-largest county in Illinois by land area.
Because Champaign County is situated on a large and very flatplateau, it had virtually no natural drainage, so that much of the County consisted of wetlands until drainage ditches were built, beginning in the 1870s. This was an example of an uplandmarsh, which resulted in a high incidence ofmalaria before the late nineteenth century.
The topography of Champaign County was formed by theWisconsin glaciation about 20,000 years before the present. Lobes of ice from what is nowLake Michigan crossed the county, creating a deep pile of glacial soil, up to 300 feet thick, topped by numerousmoraines forming small, flat watersheds with no outlets.
Champaign County is situated on thedivide between theOhio andMississippi Rivers. Rivers flow out of Champaign County to the east, west, and south. TheKaskaskia River has its origin to the northwest ofChampaign, draining the western side of that City. The Kaskaskia flows toward the southwest, joining theMississippi south ofSt. Louis,Missouri.
TheEmbarras River, on the other hand, drains the south-central portion ofChampaign–Urbana, originating in southeastern Champaign and flowing through the experimental fields on the southern part of the campus of theUniversity of Illinois. The Embarras is a tributary to theWabash River andOhio River systems. The northeast corner of Champaign, the central portion of the University campus, and the northern part of Urbana are drained by theBoneyard Creek, which flows into theSaline Branch, a tributary of theVermilion andWabash rivers.
There are two train stations in Champaign County: TheIllinois Terminal in downtown Champaign andRantoul station in Rantoul. Both stations are served by the AmtrakIllini andSaluki trains, which operate once daily between Chicago andCarbondale. The Illinois Terminal is also served by theCity of New Orleans, which operates once daily between Chicago andNew Orleans.[9] Amtrak passenger trains in Champaign County use the former Illinois Central mainline, which is owned by theCanadian National Railway and also used by freight trains.[10][11]
TheNorfolk Southern Railway operates two branch lines in Champaign County: the Mansfield Line from Urbana toMansfield and the Lafayette District fromDecatur toPeru, Indiana.[12][13] Canadian National also operates branch lines from Champaign toSeymour and Rantoul toDewey. Traffic on the branch lines is limited and consists primarily of freight.
Champaign County Area Rural Transit System (C-CARTS) provides on-demand transportation services for those living in rural areas of the county. C-CARTS also operates fixed-route local bus service in the village of Rantoul, along with an additional route connecting Rantoul to Champaign–Urbana.[17]
In August 2018, the Champaign County Board voted to approvesolar farms on certain agricultural properties. Solar farms producephotovoltaic energy, which is energy produced by cells that generate electricity when they are hit by light. The board approved solar farms in AG-1 and AG-2 agricultural zoning districts. In order to make the solar farms, developers must obtain a special permit from the county board first. At least seven applications for permits were submitted in the first month.[18]
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Urbana have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.90 inches (48 mm) in January to 4.80 inches (122 mm) in May.[19]
U.S. Decennial Census[21] 1790–1960[22] 1900–1990[23] 1990–2000[24] 2010–2019[2]
As of the2010 census, there were 201,081 people, 80,665 households, and 42,737 families residing in the county.[25] The population density was 201.8 inhabitants per square mile (77.9/km2). There were 87,569 housing units at an average density of 87.9 per square mile (33.9/km2).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 73.4% white, 12.4% black or African American, 8.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.3% of the population.[25] In terms of ancestry, 23.9% wereGerman, 12.2% wereIrish, 11.5% wereAmerican, and 8.9% wereEnglish.[26]
Of the 80,665 households, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 47.0% were non-families, and 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 28.9 years.[25]
The median income for a household in the county was $45,262 and the median income for a family was $65,785. Males had a median income of $45,823 versus $35,321 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,553. About 9.7% of families and 20.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.[27]
Champaign County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation (CHCEDC) produced a 2009 County Demographic Profile which includes information on the population, labor, housing, cost of living, education, taxes, retail sales, transportation, quality of life, utilities.[46] CHCEDC also conducts labor force studies every two years and labor shed studies every few years.[47]
Supported by theUniversity of Illinois, through backings such as the Research Park, and Champaign County leaders, the area has shown even more growth in Information Technology, Micro/Nanotechnology, Bio-Imaging, Healthcare, Logistics, Distribution, andAgribusiness in recent years.[48]
As of 2023, the top 15 employers in the county are the University of Illinois, Carle Foundation Hospital, Champaign Schools Unit 4, Kraft Heinz, OSF Healthcare, Parkland College, Kirby Foods, Christie Clinic, Champaign County Government, Urbana School District #116, FedEx, Plastipak, Rantoul Foods, Busey Bank, and SuperValu.[49]
Like most ofcentral Illinois, Champaign County was powerfully Republican betweenthe Civil War and the latter portion of the 20th century. From 1856 to 1988, it only supported a Democrat three times, in the national Democratic landslides of 1932, 1936 and 1964. Pockets of Democratic support existed in the cities of Champaign and Urbana, which frequently sent Democrats to theIllinois House of Representatives.
Since 1992, Champaign County has been one of the few Democratic bastions in central Illinois, and has become one of the most Democratic counties in downstate Illinois. Since 2004, it has given a majority of the vote to Democratic candidates due to the county's liberalism, as home to theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This tracks closely with the strong Democratic trend in other counties influenced by college towns since the 1990s. The county's more rural precincts are still heavily Republican, however, they are overpowered by the vote in Champaign and Urbana, which account for over 60 percent of the county's population.
George H. W. Bush in 1988 was the last Republican to carry the county, andBarack Obama's 2008 performance was the best by a Democrat untilJoe Biden's 2020 performance surpassed it. In 2024, DemocratKamala Harris received over 60% of the vote in the county, the highest percentage ever received by a Democratic presidential nominee, despite losing the presidential election. RepublicanDonald Trump had particularly poor showings in the county, receiving less than 40% of the vote in 2016, 2020, and 2024, his third-worst showing in the state and his worst outside the Chicago area.
United States presidential election results for Champaign County, Illinois[51]
Here is a list of K–12 school districts with territory in the county, no matter how slight, even if the districts have their schools and/or administrative offices in other counties:[52]
^Hopkins, Cyril G.; Mosier, J. G.; van Alstine, E.; Garrett, P. W. (1918).Champaign County soils. University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. p. 1.
^Doesn't exclude Hispanic/Latino -- Figures for NH population are grouped with Asian Americans
^Subtraction of "Other races of Spanish origin" (Hispanic/Latino people who identify as some other race)category and "Other races" category i potentially includes other ethnic groups that would usually be in another racial group
