Mason County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Mason County Courthouse, Havana | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:40°14′N89°55′W / 40.24°N 89.91°W /40.24; -89.91 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Named after | George Mason |
| Seat | Havana |
| Largest city | Havana |
| Area | |
• Total | 563 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
| • Land | 539 sq mi (1,400 km2) |
| • Water | 24 sq mi (62 km2) 4.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,086 |
• Estimate (2024) | 12,543 [1] |
| • Density | 24.3/sq mi (9.37/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
| Website | www |
Mason County is acounty in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 13,086.[2] Itscounty seat isHavana.[3] The county is named in honor ofGeorge Mason, a member of the Virginia legislature who campaigned for the adoption of theUnited States Bill of Rights.
Mason County was created in 1841 out of portions ofTazewell andMenard counties.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 563 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 539 square miles (1,400 km2) is land and 24 square miles (62 km2) (4.3%) is water.[4]
Mason County is bound on the south by theSangamon River, and on the west by theIllinois River. These rivers join at the county's southwest tip.
The soil covering much of Mason County is very sandy. This was formed during the melting of theWisconsin Glacier about 10,000 years ago. Meltwater from the glacier deposited large amounts of sand in a delta region near at the junction of the Sangamon and Illinois Rivers.
The sandy soil does not hold water well, quickly exposing crops to drought conditions as thewater table drops during periods of low precipitation. However, the soil is very good for growing vegetables that are otherwise not common in Illinois. Modern irrigation has made this a highly productive agricultural area.
A sand wetland on the Illinois River is managed by theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as theChautauqua National Wildlife Refuge.
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Havana have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −30 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.85 inches (47 mm) in January to 4.43 inches (113 mm) in May.[5]
U.S. Highway 136
Illinois Route 10
Illinois Route 29
Illinois Route 78
Illinois Route 97
Illinois Route 100| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 5,921 | — | |
| 1860 | 10,931 | 84.6% | |
| 1870 | 16,184 | 48.1% | |
| 1880 | 16,242 | 0.4% | |
| 1890 | 16,067 | −1.1% | |
| 1900 | 17,491 | 8.9% | |
| 1910 | 17,377 | −0.7% | |
| 1920 | 16,634 | −4.3% | |
| 1930 | 15,115 | −9.1% | |
| 1940 | 15,358 | 1.6% | |
| 1950 | 15,326 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 15,193 | −0.9% | |
| 1970 | 16,161 | 6.4% | |
| 1980 | 19,492 | 20.6% | |
| 1990 | 16,269 | −16.5% | |
| 2000 | 16,038 | −1.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,666 | −8.6% | |
| 2020 | 13,086 | −10.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,543 | [6] | −4.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[11] | Pop 1990[12] | Pop 2000[13] | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 19,327 | 16,137 | 15,799 | 14,296 | 12,339 | 99.15% | 99.19% | 98.51% | 97.48% | 94.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 | 8 | 19 | 53 | 49 | 0.01% | 0.05% | 0.12% | 0.36% | 0.37% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 19 | 26 | 32 | 31 | 24 | 0.10% | 0.16% | 0.20% | 0.21% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 38 | 38 | 32 | 40 | 26 | 0.19% | 0.23% | 0.20% | 0.27% | 0.20% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[16] | x[17] | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 16 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0.08% | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.08% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[18] | x[19] | 73 | 126 | 452 | x | x | 0.46% | 0.86% | 3.45% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 91 | 58 | 80 | 117 | 184 | 0.47% | 0.36% | 0.50% | 0.80% | 1.41% |
| Total | 19,492 | 16,269 | 16,038 | 14,666 | 13,086 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 14,666 people, 6,079 households, and 4,060 families living in the county.[20] The population density was 27.2 inhabitants per square mile (10.5/km2). There were 7,077 housing units at an average density of 13.1 per square mile (5.1/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population.[20] In terms of ancestry, 33.8% wereGerman, 15.6% wereAmerican, 11.1% wereEnglish, and 10.3% wereIrish.[21]
Of the 6,079 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 44.0 years.[20]
The median income for a household in the county was $42,461 and the median income for a family was $51,348. Males had a median income of $43,448 versus $31,087 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,427. About 13.8% of families and 15.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.[22]
Mason County was identified as a “sundown” county which “has remained all white for many decades, despite its location between Springfield and Peoria...”.[23]
Although it voted for the Whig Party in the three elections from 1840 to 1848, Mason County was to be solidly Democratic for the next sixty to seventy years due to its anti-YankeeGerman-American heritage. It was not until the 1920 election when bitter resentment was felt by German-Americans atWoodrow Wilson’s postwar policies that Mason supported a GOP candidate.
In the following eighty years, Mason was a Republican-leaning swing county, although isolationist sentiment did cause it to vote narrowly forWendell Willkie in 1940 and more convincingly forThomas E. Dewey in 1944.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,614 | 40.01% | 2,211 | 54.81% | 209 | 5.18% |
| 1896 | 2,100 | 45.83% | 2,407 | 52.53% | 75 | 1.64% |
| 1900 | 2,027 | 43.72% | 2,508 | 54.10% | 101 | 2.18% |
| 1904 | 1,798 | 45.04% | 1,806 | 45.24% | 388 | 9.72% |
| 1908 | 1,924 | 43.49% | 2,264 | 51.18% | 236 | 5.33% |
| 1912 | 948 | 23.00% | 2,173 | 52.73% | 1,000 | 24.27% |
| 1916 | 3,029 | 42.43% | 3,886 | 54.43% | 224 | 3.14% |
| 1920 | 3,842 | 58.40% | 2,595 | 39.44% | 142 | 2.16% |
| 1924 | 3,522 | 52.72% | 2,536 | 37.96% | 622 | 9.31% |
| 1928 | 3,956 | 54.78% | 3,246 | 44.95% | 19 | 0.26% |
| 1932 | 2,551 | 30.73% | 5,681 | 68.45% | 68 | 0.82% |
| 1936 | 3,395 | 38.88% | 5,278 | 60.45% | 58 | 0.66% |
| 1940 | 4,541 | 50.47% | 4,416 | 49.08% | 41 | 0.46% |
| 1944 | 3,959 | 54.52% | 3,282 | 45.19% | 21 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 3,525 | 49.83% | 3,503 | 49.52% | 46 | 0.65% |
| 1952 | 4,982 | 61.91% | 3,061 | 38.04% | 4 | 0.05% |
| 1956 | 4,677 | 59.29% | 3,199 | 40.55% | 13 | 0.16% |
| 1960 | 4,337 | 53.02% | 3,824 | 46.75% | 19 | 0.23% |
| 1964 | 2,833 | 36.84% | 4,857 | 63.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,899 | 49.65% | 3,365 | 42.85% | 589 | 7.50% |
| 1972 | 4,897 | 62.70% | 2,901 | 37.14% | 12 | 0.15% |
| 1976 | 3,847 | 49.01% | 3,947 | 50.29% | 55 | 0.70% |
| 1980 | 4,644 | 60.37% | 2,680 | 34.84% | 369 | 4.80% |
| 1984 | 4,109 | 54.89% | 3,354 | 44.80% | 23 | 0.31% |
| 1988 | 3,424 | 49.95% | 3,406 | 49.69% | 25 | 0.36% |
| 1992 | 2,473 | 32.11% | 3,969 | 51.53% | 1,260 | 16.36% |
| 1996 | 2,430 | 37.71% | 3,385 | 52.53% | 629 | 9.76% |
| 2000 | 3,411 | 50.37% | 3,192 | 47.14% | 169 | 2.50% |
| 2004 | 3,907 | 54.39% | 3,215 | 44.76% | 61 | 0.85% |
| 2008 | 3,141 | 45.98% | 3,542 | 51.85% | 148 | 2.17% |
| 2012 | 3,265 | 51.86% | 2,867 | 45.54% | 164 | 2.60% |
| 2016 | 4,058 | 62.50% | 2,014 | 31.02% | 421 | 6.48% |
| 2020 | 4,654 | 68.59% | 1,985 | 29.26% | 146 | 2.15% |
| 2024 | 4,464 | 69.73% | 1,773 | 27.69% | 165 | 2.58% |
K-12 school districts include:[25]
It also includes portions of an elementary school district,New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88, and a secondary school district,Lincoln Community High School District 404.[25]
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Municipalities and communities ofMason 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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