Edgar County, Illinois | |
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 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°41′N87°45′W / 39.68°N 87.75°W /39.68; -87.75 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | January 3, 1823 |
| Named after | John Edgar |
| Seat | Paris |
| Largest city | Paris |
| Area | |
• Total | 624 sq mi (1,620 km2) |
| • Land | 623 sq mi (1,610 km2) |
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) 0.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,866 |
• Estimate (2024) | 16,398 [1] |
| • Density | 27.1/sq mi (10.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
| Website | edgarcountyillinois |
Edgar County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 16,866.[2] Itscounty seat isParis.[3]
Edgar County was formed out ofClark County in 1823.[4] It was named forJohn Edgar, anIrish-born officer in theRoyal Navy who resigned rather than fight against the Americans in theRevolutionary War.[5] Edgar moved toKaskaskia, Illinois, in 1784, becoming a miller and merchant in that town.
Bloomfield started as awatering point for livestock, but during the 1940s, it became a thriving town along the highway betweenVincennes, Indiana, andChicago.[6] In 1872, theChicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad bypassed the town by a mile to the west. As a result, the town's businesses moved to Edgar, beginning Bloomfield's decline.[4]
![Edgar County (1823), with unorganized territory attached to it.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEdgar_County_Illinois_1823.png)
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,620 km2), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (0.1%) is water.[8]
There is one recreational area in the county, on the north edge ofParis. Twin Lakes Park and Reservoir began in 1895 upon completion of the dam compounding the Twin Lakes Reservoir.[9]
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paris have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.23 inches (57 mm) in January to 4.43 inches (113 mm) in July.[10]
Three railroad lines run through the county. Two are operated byCSX Transportation and the third by theEastern Illinois Railroad Company.[11]
The county contains one public-use airport:Edgar County Airport (PRG), six miles (10 km) north of Paris.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 4,071 | — | |
| 1840 | 8,225 | 102.0% | |
| 1850 | 10,692 | 30.0% | |
| 1860 | 16,925 | 58.3% | |
| 1870 | 21,450 | 26.7% | |
| 1880 | 25,499 | 18.9% | |
| 1890 | 26,787 | 5.1% | |
| 1900 | 28,273 | 5.5% | |
| 1910 | 27,336 | −3.3% | |
| 1920 | 25,769 | −5.7% | |
| 1930 | 24,966 | −3.1% | |
| 1940 | 24,430 | −2.1% | |
| 1950 | 23,407 | −4.2% | |
| 1960 | 22,550 | −3.7% | |
| 1970 | 21,591 | −4.3% | |
| 1980 | 21,725 | 0.6% | |
| 1990 | 19,595 | −9.8% | |
| 2000 | 19,704 | 0.6% | |
| 2010 | 18,576 | −5.7% | |
| 2020 | 16,866 | −9.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 16,398 | [13] | −2.8% |
| US Decennial Census[14] 1790-1960[15] 1900–1990[16] 1990-2000[17] 2010–2013[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[18] | Pop 1990[19] | Pop 2000[20] | Pop 2010[21] | Pop 2020[22] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,506 | 19,427 | 19,052 | 18,142 | 16,005 | 98.99% | 99.14% | 96.69% | 97.66% | 94.90% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 54 | 68 | 362 | 63 | 82 | 0.25% | 0.35% | 1.84% | 0.34% | 0.49% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 16 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 0.07% | 0.12% | 0.13% | 0.12% | 0.10% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 37 | 24 | 34 | 33 | 51 | 0.17% | 0.12% | 0.17% | 0.18% | 0.30% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[23] | x[24] | 2 | 3 | 0 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 0.03% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.20% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[25] | x[26] | 71 | 123 | 453 | x | x | 0.36% | 0.66% | 2.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 105 | 52 | 154 | 187 | 225 | 0.48% | 0.27% | 0.78% | 1.01% | 1.33% |
| Total | 21,725 | 19,595 | 19,704 | 18,576 | 16,866 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 18,576 people, 7,839 households, and 5,148 families residing in the county.[27] The population density was 29.8 inhabitants per square mile (11.5/km2). There were 8,803 housing units at an average density of 14.1 per square mile (5.4/km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.[27] In terms of ancestry, 23.6% wereGerman, 15.3% wereIrish, 13.0% wereEnglish, and 12.3% wereAmerican.[28]
Of the 7,839 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 43.2 years.[27]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,904 and the median income for a family was $51,588. Males had a median income of $38,945 versus $29,951 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,175. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.[29]
A swing county in the first eight decades afterthe Civil War, Edgar County has since become powerfully Republican. It has been carried by only two Democrats since 1940 –Lyndon Johnson in 1964 by just 139 votes, andBill Clinton in 1992 by a 41.1 percent plurality.Hillary Clinton’s 22.7 percent vote share in 2016 was by 9.3 percent the worst ever by a Democrat in the county.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 3,197 | 47.64% | 3,164 | 47.15% | 350 | 5.22% |
| 1896 | 3,822 | 49.80% | 3,729 | 48.59% | 123 | 1.60% |
| 1900 | 3,766 | 48.90% | 3,783 | 49.12% | 153 | 1.99% |
| 1904 | 3,753 | 50.33% | 3,443 | 46.17% | 261 | 3.50% |
| 1908 | 3,757 | 50.46% | 3,433 | 46.11% | 255 | 3.43% |
| 1912 | 2,430 | 32.84% | 3,479 | 47.02% | 1,490 | 20.14% |
| 1916 | 6,099 | 46.37% | 6,710 | 51.01% | 345 | 2.62% |
| 1920 | 6,750 | 53.29% | 5,694 | 44.95% | 223 | 1.76% |
| 1924 | 6,297 | 52.31% | 5,222 | 43.38% | 518 | 4.30% |
| 1928 | 7,509 | 58.27% | 5,325 | 41.32% | 52 | 0.40% |
| 1932 | 5,953 | 43.03% | 7,745 | 55.98% | 138 | 1.00% |
| 1936 | 6,929 | 46.51% | 7,822 | 52.50% | 147 | 0.99% |
| 1940 | 7,985 | 54.03% | 6,713 | 45.42% | 82 | 0.55% |
| 1944 | 6,961 | 57.68% | 5,054 | 41.88% | 54 | 0.45% |
| 1948 | 6,282 | 54.77% | 5,121 | 44.65% | 67 | 0.58% |
| 1952 | 8,323 | 64.56% | 4,558 | 35.36% | 10 | 0.08% |
| 1956 | 7,942 | 64.52% | 4,362 | 35.44% | 5 | 0.04% |
| 1960 | 7,348 | 59.37% | 5,024 | 40.59% | 4 | 0.03% |
| 1964 | 5,827 | 49.41% | 5,966 | 50.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 6,281 | 56.33% | 3,565 | 31.97% | 1,305 | 11.70% |
| 1972 | 7,195 | 64.73% | 3,889 | 34.99% | 32 | 0.29% |
| 1976 | 5,842 | 53.01% | 5,058 | 45.89% | 121 | 1.10% |
| 1980 | 6,639 | 63.14% | 3,394 | 32.28% | 482 | 4.58% |
| 1984 | 6,821 | 67.54% | 3,241 | 32.09% | 37 | 0.37% |
| 1988 | 5,538 | 58.55% | 3,880 | 41.02% | 41 | 0.43% |
| 1992 | 3,790 | 38.77% | 4,014 | 41.06% | 1,972 | 20.17% |
| 1996 | 3,746 | 45.12% | 3,552 | 42.78% | 1,004 | 12.09% |
| 2000 | 4,833 | 58.71% | 3,216 | 39.07% | 183 | 2.22% |
| 2004 | 5,258 | 62.38% | 3,093 | 36.69% | 78 | 0.93% |
| 2008 | 4,398 | 53.09% | 3,743 | 45.18% | 143 | 1.73% |
| 2012 | 5,132 | 65.50% | 2,565 | 32.74% | 138 | 1.76% |
| 2016 | 5,645 | 71.46% | 1,793 | 22.70% | 461 | 5.84% |
| 2020 | 6,193 | 75.41% | 1,887 | 22.98% | 132 | 1.61% |
| 2024 | 5,955 | 75.11% | 1,816 | 22.91% | 157 | 1.98% |
Places adjacent to Edgar County, Illinois | |
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Municipalities and communities ofEdgar County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| Other | |
