Henderson County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Henderson County Courthouse, Oquawka | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:40°49′N90°56′W / 40.81°N 90.93°W /40.81; -90.93 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Named after | Richard Henderson |
| Seat | Oquawka |
| Largest village | Oquawka |
| Area | |
• Total | 395 sq mi (1,020 km2) |
| • Land | 379 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Water | 16 sq mi (41 km2) 4.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,387 |
• Estimate (2024) | 6,048 [1] |
| • Density | 16.9/sq mi (6.51/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
| Website | www |
Henderson County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,387.[2] Itscounty seat isOquawka.[3] Henderson County is part of theBurlington,IA–ILMicropolitan Statistical Area.
Henderson County was formed in 1841 from a portion ofWarren County. It was named forHenderson County,Kentucky, which was named forRichard Henderson,[4] founder of theTransylvania Company, an early attempt to organize what later becameKentucky around 1775.
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 395 square miles (1,020 km2), of which 379 square miles (980 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (4.1%) is water.[5]
| Oquawka, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Oquawka have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.31 inches (33 mm) in January to 4.48 inches (114 mm) in July.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 4,612 | — | |
| 1860 | 9,501 | 106.0% | |
| 1870 | 12,582 | 32.4% | |
| 1880 | 10,722 | −14.8% | |
| 1890 | 9,876 | −7.9% | |
| 1900 | 10,836 | 9.7% | |
| 1910 | 9,724 | −10.3% | |
| 1920 | 9,770 | 0.5% | |
| 1930 | 8,778 | −10.2% | |
| 1940 | 8,949 | 1.9% | |
| 1950 | 8,416 | −6.0% | |
| 1960 | 8,237 | −2.1% | |
| 1970 | 8,451 | 2.6% | |
| 1980 | 9,114 | 7.8% | |
| 1990 | 8,096 | −11.2% | |
| 2000 | 8,213 | 1.4% | |
| 2010 | 7,331 | −10.7% | |
| 2020 | 6,387 | −12.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,048 | [7] | −5.3% |
| US Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 7,331 people, 3,149 households, and 2,127 families residing in the county.[13] The population density was 19.3 inhabitants per square mile (7.5/km2). There were 3,827 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% wereGerman, 14.5% wereIrish, 11.9% wereEnglish, 5.9% wereSwedish, and 5.0% wereAmerican.[14]
| 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) | 9,003 | 7,998 | 8,041 | 7,133 | 6,060 | 98.78% | 98.79% | 97.91% | 97.30% | 94.88% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 | 8 | 21 | 15 | 29 | 0.01% | 0.10% | 0.26% | 0.20% | 0.45% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 4 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 0.04% | 0.30% | 0.09% | 0.20% | 0.08% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 15 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 0.16% | 0.12% | 0.10% | 0.20% | 0.22% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 3 | 5 | 5 | x | x | 0.04% | 0.07% | 0.08% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.00% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 61 | 66 | 162 | x | x | 0.74% | 0.90% | 2.54% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 82 | 56 | 72 | 79 | 112 | 0.90% | 0.69% | 0.88% | 1.08% | 1.75% |
| Total | 9,114 | 8,096 | 8,213 | 7,331 | 6,387 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Of the 3,149 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 47.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,450 and the median income for a family was $55,154. Males had a median income of $41,052 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,492. About 7.8% of families and 11.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.[24]
| Office[25] | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Board at-large | Kim Gullberg | Republican | |
| County Board at-large | Bill Knupp | Republican | |
| County Board at-large | Kurt McChesney | Republican | |
| County Board at-large | Todd Miller | Republican | |
| County Board at-large | Janet Stubbs | Republican | |
County Board at-largeDick BiggerDemocrat
| Office[25] | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Clerk | Sandra Keane | Republican | |
| Coroner | John Fedler | Republican | |
| State's Attorney | Susan Maxwell-Schneider | Republican | |
| Office[25] | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th Circuit Court | Bruce Beal | Independent | |
| 9th Circuit Court | James Standard | Independent | |
| 9th Circuit Court | Nigel Graham | Republican | |
| 9th Circuit Court | Rodney Clark | Independent | |
As part ofYankee-settledNorthern Illinois, Henderson County was solidlyWhig in its first three elections and then equally Republican from that party's formation until theGreat Depression.Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 was the first Democrat to win it, but the county returned to RepublicanAlf Landon in 1936 and was not won by a Democrat until the GOP nominated the southern-oriented conservativeBarry Goldwater in 1964.
After that, like many Yankee counties, it returned to its Republican roots between 1968 and 1984, but turned reliably Democratic in presidential elections from 1988 to 2012. RepublicanDonald Trump carried the county with over 61 percent of the vote in 2016; the highest percentage won by any Republican candidate sinceDwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, and for then Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, it was the lowest by a Democrat sinceAl Smith in 1928. Republican margins have continued to improve in each subsequent election as rural Illinois shifts sharply to the right and native sonBarack Obama is no longer on the ballot, with Trump's 68% in 2024 marking the best Republican result since 1928. The county's new Republican dominance has extended to the local level as well, with Republicans going entirely unchallenged for county office.[25]
Henderson County is located inIllinois's 17th Congressional District and is currently represented by DemocratEric Sorensen. For theIllinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 94th district and is currently represented by RepublicanRandy Frese. The county is located in the 47th district of theIllinois Senate, and is currently represented by RepublicanJil Tracy. Along with five other counties,[a] Henderson County makes up Illinois's 9th Judicial Circuit Court.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,352 | 55.94% | 921 | 38.11% | 144 | 5.96% |
| 1896 | 1,756 | 62.80% | 962 | 34.41% | 78 | 2.79% |
| 1900 | 1,772 | 61.98% | 976 | 34.14% | 111 | 3.88% |
| 1904 | 1,668 | 65.67% | 708 | 27.87% | 164 | 6.46% |
| 1908 | 1,547 | 62.23% | 820 | 32.98% | 119 | 4.79% |
| 1912 | 648 | 27.84% | 721 | 30.97% | 959 | 41.19% |
| 1916 | 2,528 | 58.50% | 1,611 | 37.28% | 182 | 4.21% |
| 1920 | 2,747 | 76.65% | 740 | 20.65% | 97 | 2.71% |
| 1924 | 2,879 | 72.87% | 803 | 20.32% | 269 | 6.81% |
| 1928 | 2,695 | 71.11% | 1,065 | 28.10% | 30 | 0.79% |
| 1932 | 1,815 | 42.55% | 2,372 | 55.60% | 79 | 1.85% |
| 1936 | 2,663 | 51.02% | 2,496 | 47.82% | 61 | 1.17% |
| 1940 | 3,264 | 61.81% | 1,977 | 37.44% | 40 | 0.76% |
| 1944 | 2,695 | 63.34% | 1,550 | 36.43% | 10 | 0.24% |
| 1948 | 2,336 | 60.87% | 1,465 | 38.17% | 37 | 0.96% |
| 1952 | 2,839 | 65.98% | 1,458 | 33.88% | 6 | 0.14% |
| 1956 | 2,743 | 65.08% | 1,469 | 34.85% | 3 | 0.07% |
| 1960 | 2,572 | 60.19% | 1,697 | 39.71% | 4 | 0.09% |
| 1964 | 1,863 | 45.07% | 2,271 | 54.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,224 | 53.62% | 1,635 | 39.42% | 289 | 6.97% |
| 1972 | 2,689 | 60.62% | 1,744 | 39.31% | 3 | 0.07% |
| 1976 | 2,210 | 50.15% | 2,152 | 48.83% | 45 | 1.02% |
| 1980 | 2,443 | 57.54% | 1,609 | 37.89% | 194 | 4.57% |
| 1984 | 2,289 | 53.51% | 1,969 | 46.03% | 20 | 0.47% |
| 1988 | 1,726 | 45.17% | 2,085 | 54.57% | 10 | 0.26% |
| 1992 | 1,310 | 32.36% | 2,013 | 49.73% | 725 | 17.91% |
| 1996 | 1,233 | 34.07% | 1,953 | 53.97% | 433 | 11.96% |
| 2000 | 1,708 | 44.18% | 2,030 | 52.51% | 128 | 3.31% |
| 2004 | 1,857 | 44.71% | 2,269 | 54.64% | 27 | 0.65% |
| 2008 | 1,541 | 40.25% | 2,215 | 57.85% | 73 | 1.91% |
| 2012 | 1,541 | 43.19% | 1,978 | 55.44% | 49 | 1.37% |
| 2016 | 2,155 | 61.26% | 1,155 | 32.83% | 208 | 5.91% |
| 2020 | 2,394 | 65.48% | 1,187 | 32.47% | 75 | 2.05% |
| 2024 | 2,369 | 68.27% | 1,026 | 29.57% | 75 | 2.16% |
Henderson County is divided into eleventownships:
K-12 school districts include:[28]
There is one secondary school district that extends into the county,Illini West High School District 307, as well as two elementary school districts:Dallas Elementary School District 327 andLa Harpe Community School District 347.[29]
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Municipalities and communities ofHenderson County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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