Jefferson County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Jefferson County Courthouse in Mount Vernon | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°18′N88°55′W / 38.3°N 88.92°W /38.3; -88.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1819 |
| Named after | Thomas Jefferson |
| Seat | Mount Vernon |
| Largest city | Mount Vernon |
| Area | |
• Total | 584 sq mi (1,510 km2) |
| • Land | 571 sq mi (1,480 km2) |
| • Water | 13 sq mi (34 km2) 2.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 37,113 |
• Estimate (2024) | 36,107 [1] |
| • Density | 65.0/sq mi (25.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | www |
Jefferson County is acounty located in the southern part of theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it has a population of 37,113.[2] Thecounty seat isMount Vernon.[3] Jefferson County contains theMount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area. It is located in the southern portion known locally as "Little Egypt". The western border of the county adjoins theGreater St. Louis consolidated metropolitan statistical area, theMetro-East region, and the St. Louis commuter region and market and viewing area.
The first settler in Jefferson County is believed to have been Andrew Moore. In 1810, he settled near the southeast corner of the county, near where theGoshen Road emerges from the forest ofHamilton County into what is now known as Moore's Prairie. Moore arrived from the Goshen Settlement, nearEdwardsville. His migration was therefore retrograde, from the west toward the interior of the State.
In 1814, Andrew Moore departed with his eight-year-old son for Jordan's settlement, a journey from which he never returned. A skull that was believed to have been Moore's was found several years later about two miles from his cabin. Jordan's Settlement, also called Jordan's Fort, was southeast of modernThompsonville,Illinois, about twenty miles south of Moore's cabin. This episode occurred during theWar of 1812 when many of theIndian tribes were allied with the British.
In 1816, Carter Wilkey, Daniel Crenshaw and Robert Cook settled in Moore's Prairie. Daniel Crenshaw moved into Moore's cabin. This settlement is believed to be the first permanent settlement in the county.
Jefferson County was organized in 1819, out of parts ofWhite,Edwards andFranklin Counties. It was named in honor ofThomas Jefferson, principal draftsman of theNorthwest Ordinance, among other things.[4] The baseline along the northern border of the County crosses the ThirdPrincipal Meridian at the northwest corner of the county.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 584 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 571 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (2.2%) is water.[5]
| Mount Vernon, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Vernon have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °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 1994 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.45 inches (62 mm) in January to 4.58 inches (116 mm) in May.[6]
Interstate 57
Interstate 64
U.S. Highway 51
Illinois Route 15
Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 142
Illinois Route 148| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 691 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,555 | 269.8% | |
| 1840 | 5,762 | 125.5% | |
| 1850 | 8,109 | 40.7% | |
| 1860 | 12,965 | 59.9% | |
| 1870 | 17,864 | 37.8% | |
| 1880 | 20,686 | 15.8% | |
| 1890 | 22,590 | 9.2% | |
| 1900 | 28,133 | 24.5% | |
| 1910 | 29,111 | 3.5% | |
| 1920 | 28,480 | −2.2% | |
| 1930 | 31,034 | 9.0% | |
| 1940 | 34,375 | 10.8% | |
| 1950 | 35,892 | 4.4% | |
| 1960 | 32,315 | −10.0% | |
| 1970 | 31,446 | −2.7% | |
| 1980 | 36,552 | 16.2% | |
| 1990 | 37,020 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 40,045 | 8.2% | |
| 2010 | 38,827 | −3.0% | |
| 2020 | 37,113 | −4.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 36,107 | [7] | −2.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2013[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[12] | Pop 1990[13] | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[15] | Pop 2020[16] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 34,676 | 34,756 | 35,709 | 33,919 | 31,182 | 94.87% | 93.88% | 89.17% | 87.36% | 84.02% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,588 | 1,917 | 3,093 | 3,194 | 2,783 | 4.34% | 5.18% | 7.72% | 8.23% | 7.50% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 31 | 52 | 77 | 69 | 77 | 0.08% | 0.14% | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 66 | 126 | 188 | 246 | 352 | 0.18% | 0.34% | 0.47% | 0.63% | 0.95% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[17] | x[18] | 2 | 7 | 7 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 12 | 28 | 44 | 68 | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.07% | 0.11% | 0.18% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[19] | x[20] | 417 | 549 | 1,745 | x | x | 1.04% | 1.41% | 4.70% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 180 | 157 | 531 | 799 | 899 | 0.49% | 0.42% | 1.33% | 2.06% | 2.42% |
| Total | 36,552 | 37,020 | 40,045 | 38,827 | 37,113 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 38,827 people, 15,365 households, and 10,140 families residing in the county.[21] The population density was 68.0 inhabitants per square mile (26.3/km2). There were 16,954 housing units at an average density of 29.7 per square mile (11.5/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 8.4% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population.[21] In terms of ancestry, 24.3% wereGerman, 15.8% wereIrish, 13.6% wereEnglish, and 10.2% wereAmerican.[22]
Of the 15,365 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 40.6 years.[21]
The median income for a household in the county was $41,161 and the median income for a family was $51,262. Males had a median income of $41,193 versus $29,645 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,370. About 12.4% of families and 17.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.[23]
In 2015 the county police department announced that the words "In God We Trust" will be on police squad cars.[24]
Jeff Bullard is the current Sheriff of Jefferson County.
Jefferson is politically a fairly typical “anti-Yankee” Southern Illinois county. Opposition to the “Yankee” Republican Party and that party'sCivil War meant that Jefferson County voted solidly Democratic untilTheodore Roosevelt carried the county in his 1904 landslide. It was to again vote Republican in the greater landslides of 1920 and 1928, but otherwise was firmly Democratic until World War II.
Following the New Deal, Jefferson became something of abellwether county, voting for every winning presidential candidate between 1928 and 2004 except in the Catholicism-influenced 1960 election, and that of 1988 which was heavily influenced bya major Midwestern drought. Disagreement with the Democratic Party's liberal views on social issues since the 1990s has caused a powerful swing to the GOP in the past quarter-century:[25] as is typical of theUpland South, Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Clinton did far worse than any previous Democrat.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,949 | 37.24% | 2,332 | 44.55% | 953 | 18.21% |
| 1896 | 2,603 | 41.27% | 3,588 | 56.89% | 116 | 1.84% |
| 1900 | 2,805 | 44.22% | 3,332 | 52.53% | 206 | 3.25% |
| 1904 | 3,063 | 51.33% | 2,462 | 41.26% | 442 | 7.41% |
| 1908 | 3,210 | 47.30% | 3,377 | 49.76% | 200 | 2.95% |
| 1912 | 1,834 | 27.73% | 3,237 | 48.94% | 1,543 | 23.33% |
| 1916 | 6,028 | 46.35% | 6,685 | 51.40% | 292 | 2.25% |
| 1920 | 5,711 | 53.57% | 4,772 | 44.77% | 177 | 1.66% |
| 1924 | 5,406 | 44.57% | 6,258 | 51.59% | 466 | 3.84% |
| 1928 | 7,326 | 55.08% | 5,905 | 44.40% | 70 | 0.53% |
| 1932 | 5,333 | 35.54% | 9,495 | 63.28% | 177 | 1.18% |
| 1936 | 7,290 | 41.26% | 10,240 | 57.96% | 138 | 0.78% |
| 1940 | 8,692 | 44.09% | 10,887 | 55.22% | 136 | 0.69% |
| 1944 | 7,916 | 47.83% | 8,496 | 51.33% | 139 | 0.84% |
| 1948 | 7,393 | 45.30% | 8,928 | 54.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 9,841 | 53.03% | 8,698 | 46.87% | 19 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 9,637 | 54.36% | 8,090 | 45.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 9,841 | 55.84% | 7,784 | 44.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 6,248 | 39.29% | 9,653 | 60.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 7,367 | 47.63% | 6,476 | 41.87% | 1,624 | 10.50% |
| 1972 | 9,448 | 59.40% | 6,396 | 40.21% | 61 | 0.38% |
| 1976 | 7,422 | 44.93% | 8,989 | 54.41% | 109 | 0.66% |
| 1980 | 8,972 | 54.91% | 6,761 | 41.38% | 607 | 3.71% |
| 1984 | 9,642 | 57.10% | 7,200 | 42.64% | 43 | 0.25% |
| 1988 | 7,624 | 49.42% | 7,729 | 50.10% | 73 | 0.47% |
| 1992 | 5,497 | 31.24% | 8,665 | 49.24% | 3,435 | 19.52% |
| 1996 | 5,937 | 39.63% | 7,263 | 48.48% | 1,781 | 11.89% |
| 2000 | 8,362 | 54.44% | 6,685 | 43.52% | 313 | 2.04% |
| 2004 | 10,160 | 59.95% | 6,713 | 39.61% | 75 | 0.44% |
| 2008 | 9,302 | 54.02% | 7,462 | 43.33% | 457 | 2.65% |
| 2012 | 9,811 | 60.12% | 6,089 | 37.31% | 420 | 2.57% |
| 2016 | 11,695 | 68.80% | 4,425 | 26.03% | 879 | 5.17% |
| 2020 | 12,476 | 71.55% | 4,608 | 26.43% | 352 | 2.02% |
| 2024 | 12,189 | 72.97% | 4,240 | 25.38% | 275 | 1.65% |
Jefferson County is divided into sixteentownships:
School districts include:[27]
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary:
Places adjacent to Jefferson County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofJefferson County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Counties |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Major cities (25,000+) | ||
| Cities (5,000-25,000) | ||
| Communities (1,000-5,000) | ||
| Transit systems | ||
| Amtrak stations |
| |
| Interstates | ||
| Airports | ||
| Colleges | ||
| Sports teams |
| |
| Topics |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Central city | ||
| Largest cities (over 50,000 in2020) | ||
| Medium-sized cities (over 20,000 in2020) | ||
| Largest towns and villages (over 10,000 in2020) |
| |
| Missouri counties | ||
| Illinois counties | ||
| Subregions | ||
| Counties |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-sized cities (25,000+) | ||
| Small cities (10,000-25,000) | ||
| Small cities (5,000-10,000) | ||
| Transit systems | ||
| Amtrak stations | ||
| Interstates | ||
| Airports/military bases |
| |
| Universities | ||
| Colleges | ||
| Sports teams based in Southern Illinois | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
