Fayette County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°00′N89°01′W / 39°N 89.02°W /39; -89.02 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | Marquis de Lafayette |
| Seat | Vandalia |
| Largest city | Vandalia |
| Area | |
• Total | 725 sq mi (1,880 km2) |
| • Land | 716 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| • Water | 8.9 sq mi (23 km2) 1.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,488 |
• Estimate (2024) | 21,157 [1] |
| • Density | 30.0/sq mi (11.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
| Website | www |
Fayette County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. As of the2020 census, the population was 21,488.[2] Itscounty seat isVandalia,[3] the site of theVandalia State House State Historic Site.Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area is located in the northwestern part of this county.
Fayette County was formed in 1821 out ofBond,Clark, andCrawford counties; according to one source, the county was formed on February 14, 1812.[4] It was named in honor of theMarquis de LaFayette, French hero of theAmerican Revolutionary War.[5][6]
In 1823,Marion County, Illinois was carved out from the southernmost part of Fayette County; this was followed by the creation ofClay,Clinton andShelby Counties from Fayette County areas.[4] EarlyTazewell County also received acreage from Fayette County.[4] The year 1831 saw the creation ofEffingham County and the establishment of the modern Fayette County boundaries.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,880 km2), of which 716 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (1.2%) is water.[7]
| Vandalia, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vandalia 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 −21 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.41 inches (61 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 mm) in May.[8]
Interstate 57
Interstate 70
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 51
Illinois Route 33
Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 128
Illinois Route 140
Illinois Route 185| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,704 | — | |
| 1840 | 6,328 | 134.0% | |
| 1850 | 8,075 | 27.6% | |
| 1860 | 11,189 | 38.6% | |
| 1870 | 19,638 | 75.5% | |
| 1880 | 23,241 | 18.3% | |
| 1890 | 23,367 | 0.5% | |
| 1900 | 28,065 | 20.1% | |
| 1910 | 28,075 | 0.0% | |
| 1920 | 26,187 | −6.7% | |
| 1930 | 23,487 | −10.3% | |
| 1940 | 29,159 | 24.1% | |
| 1950 | 24,582 | −15.7% | |
| 1960 | 21,946 | −10.7% | |
| 1970 | 20,752 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 22,167 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 20,893 | −5.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,802 | 4.4% | |
| 2010 | 22,140 | 1.6% | |
| 2020 | 21,488 | −2.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 21,157 | [9] | −1.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010[14] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[16] | Pop 1990[17] | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[19] | Pop 2020[20] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,665 | 20,089 | 20,386 | 20,585 | 19,425 | 97.74% | 96.15% | 93.51% | 92.98% | 90.40% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 297 | 581 | 1,064 | 969 | 780 | 1.34% | 2.78% | 4.88% | 4.38% | 3.63% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 37 | 37 | 25 | 33 | 80 | 0.17% | 0.18% | 0.11% | 0.15% | 0.37% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 26 | 31 | 37 | 47 | 67 | 0.12% | 0.15% | 0.17% | 0.21% | 0.31% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[21] | x[22] | 4 | 4 | 1 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 9 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 31 | 0.04% | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.14% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[23] | x[24] | 103 | 192 | 447 | x | x | 0.47% | 0.87% | 2.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 133 | 154 | 174 | 304 | 657 | 0.60% | 0.74% | 0.80% | 1.37% | 3.06% |
| Total | 22,167 | 20,893 | 21,802 | 22,140 | 21,488 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 22,140 people, 8,311 households, and 5,648 families living in the county.[25] The population density was 30.9 inhabitants per square mile (11.9/km2). There were 9,302 housing units at an average density of 13.0 per square mile (5.0/km2).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population.[25] In terms of ancestry, 27.5% wereGerman, 10.5% wereEnglish, 9.4% wereAmerican, and 9.3% wereIrish.[26]
Of the 8,311 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.9 years.[25]
The median income for a household in the county was $41,269 and the median income for a family was $51,216. Males had a median income of $38,257 versus $27,188 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,663. About 10.8% of families and 16.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.[27]
Fayette County is divided into twentytownships:
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Fayette County was rock-ribbed Democratic. It was not won by a Republican untilTheodore Roosevelt’s landslide win of 1904. The county voted after that for the winning candidate in every election until 1940, when opposition toFranklin D. Roosevelt’s economic and war policies gave the county toWendell Willkie. Since then only two Democratic presidential candidates have gained an absolute majority in the county – the more recent of these two,Jimmy Carter in 1976, doing so by a single vote.
Donald Trump has won by more than 75% in each of his three campaigns.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,980 | 36.66% | 2,433 | 45.05% | 988 | 18.29% |
| 1896 | 2,769 | 42.46% | 3,627 | 55.61% | 126 | 1.93% |
| 1900 | 2,920 | 44.79% | 3,423 | 52.51% | 176 | 2.70% |
| 1904 | 3,253 | 51.62% | 2,650 | 42.05% | 399 | 6.33% |
| 1908 | 3,261 | 48.67% | 3,193 | 47.66% | 246 | 3.67% |
| 1912 | 1,481 | 24.51% | 2,782 | 46.04% | 1,779 | 29.44% |
| 1916 | 5,316 | 46.55% | 5,669 | 49.65% | 434 | 3.80% |
| 1920 | 5,758 | 58.48% | 3,824 | 38.84% | 264 | 2.68% |
| 1924 | 5,010 | 48.43% | 4,668 | 45.13% | 666 | 6.44% |
| 1928 | 6,545 | 61.65% | 3,998 | 37.66% | 73 | 0.69% |
| 1932 | 5,122 | 41.44% | 7,053 | 57.06% | 185 | 1.50% |
| 1936 | 6,419 | 48.01% | 6,824 | 51.04% | 128 | 0.96% |
| 1940 | 7,486 | 50.19% | 7,286 | 48.85% | 143 | 0.96% |
| 1944 | 6,332 | 53.27% | 5,435 | 45.72% | 120 | 1.01% |
| 1948 | 5,717 | 49.25% | 5,771 | 49.72% | 120 | 1.03% |
| 1952 | 7,028 | 56.96% | 5,299 | 42.95% | 12 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 6,739 | 57.81% | 4,914 | 42.15% | 5 | 0.04% |
| 1960 | 6,586 | 57.25% | 4,907 | 42.65% | 11 | 0.10% |
| 1964 | 4,492 | 41.64% | 6,295 | 58.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,449 | 52.38% | 4,011 | 38.56% | 943 | 9.06% |
| 1972 | 6,574 | 61.05% | 4,192 | 38.93% | 2 | 0.02% |
| 1976 | 5,059 | 49.33% | 5,128 | 50.00% | 68 | 0.66% |
| 1980 | 6,523 | 62.67% | 3,614 | 34.72% | 271 | 2.60% |
| 1984 | 6,607 | 63.09% | 3,844 | 36.70% | 22 | 0.21% |
| 1988 | 5,452 | 53.88% | 4,632 | 45.78% | 34 | 0.34% |
| 1992 | 3,508 | 34.67% | 4,833 | 47.77% | 1,777 | 17.56% |
| 1996 | 3,881 | 44.14% | 3,887 | 44.21% | 1,024 | 11.65% |
| 2000 | 5,200 | 55.69% | 3,886 | 41.61% | 252 | 2.70% |
| 2004 | 5,880 | 61.58% | 3,571 | 37.40% | 98 | 1.03% |
| 2008 | 5,499 | 56.64% | 3,967 | 40.86% | 242 | 2.49% |
| 2012 | 5,951 | 66.03% | 2,853 | 31.66% | 208 | 2.31% |
| 2016 | 7,372 | 76.86% | 1,819 | 18.97% | 400 | 4.17% |
| 2020 | 8,055 | 79.94% | 1,826 | 18.12% | 195 | 1.94% |
| 2024 | 7,847 | 81.52% | 1,632 | 16.95% | 147 | 1.53% |
Places adjacent to Fayette County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofFayette County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
