Perry County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Perry County Courthouse in Pinckneyville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°05′N89°22′W / 38.09°N 89.37°W /38.09; -89.37 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | January 29, 1827 |
| Named after | Oliver Hazard Perry |
| Seat | Pinckneyville |
| Largest city | Du Quoin |
| Area | |
• Total | 447 sq mi (1,160 km2) |
| • Land | 442 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
| • Water | 5.2 sq mi (13 km2) 1.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 20,945 |
• Estimate (2024) | 20,272 [1] |
| • Density | 47.4/sq mi (18.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | perryil |
Perry County is acounty inIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 20,945.[2] Itscounty seat isPinckneyville.[3] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known as "Little Egypt".
Perry County was formed in 1827 out ofJackson andRandolph counties. It was named in honor ofOliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British fleet at the decisiveBattle of Lake Erie in theWar of 1812.
In its early history, Perry County was mainly an inland pioneer outpost. Early settlers, including someRevolutionary War veterans bearing land grants, moved here from the Eastern United States. These were primarily Protestant settlers. Growth boomed in the 1850s for two reasons: construction of the Illinois Central Railroad through the eastern portion of the county, and the discovery of large coal reserves. Immigrants fromIreland,Poland,Germany,Italy and elsewhere steadily increased the county's population from 1850 through the 1920s. African Americans also were established in the county during northward migration following theCivil War.
Mining continued to be the dominant employment sector through the 1990s.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 447 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 442 square miles (1,140 km2) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km2) (1.2%) is water.[4]
Perry County is located in Southern Illinois. Pinckneyville, at the center of the county, is approximately 70 miles (110 km) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri and 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Chicago. TheMississippi River lies about 10 miles (16 km) west and southwest of the County at its closest point.
The county's topography is mainly flat with some rolling hills. The part of the county's eastern border, the part shared withFranklin County, is formed by theLittle Muddy River.Beaucoup Creek runs north to south through the county and lies just east of Pinckneyville.
The county's topography also features many "strip cut" lakes, lakes left behind following above-ground coal mining. Lakes at two of the county's chief recreation areas, theDu Quoin State Fairgrounds andPyramid State Recreation Area, were formed this way.
| Pinckneyville, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pinckneyville have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 90 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.61 inches (66 mm) in February to 4.81 inches (122 mm) in May.[5]
U.S. Route 51
Illinois Route 4
Illinois Route 13
Illinois Route 14
Illinois Route 127
Illinois Route 150
Illinois Route 152
Illinois Route 154| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 1,215 | — | |
| 1840 | 3,222 | 165.2% | |
| 1850 | 5,278 | 63.8% | |
| 1860 | 9,552 | 81.0% | |
| 1870 | 13,723 | 43.7% | |
| 1880 | 16,007 | 16.6% | |
| 1890 | 17,529 | 9.5% | |
| 1900 | 19,830 | 13.1% | |
| 1910 | 22,088 | 11.4% | |
| 1920 | 22,901 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 22,767 | −0.6% | |
| 1940 | 23,438 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 21,684 | −7.5% | |
| 1960 | 19,184 | −11.5% | |
| 1970 | 19,757 | 3.0% | |
| 1980 | 21,714 | 9.9% | |
| 1990 | 21,412 | −1.4% | |
| 2000 | 23,094 | 7.9% | |
| 2010 | 22,350 | −3.2% | |
| 2020 | 20,945 | −6.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 20,272 | [6] | −3.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010[11] | |||
| 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) | 21,138 | 20,812 | 20,563 | 19,463 | 17,779 | 97.35% | 97.20% | 89.04% | 87.08% | 84.88% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 418 | 387 | 1,849 | 1,856 | 1,653 | 1.93% | 1.81% | 8.01% | 8.30% | 7.89% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 21 | 23 | 46 | 43 | 34 | 0.10% | 0.11% | 0.20% | 0.19% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 33 | 63 | 63 | 87 | 125 | 0.15% | 0.29% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.60% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[17] | x[18] | 4 | 8 | 1 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 26 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 0.12% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.07% | 0.16% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[19] | x[20] | 156 | 278 | 605 | x | x | 0.68% | 1.24% | 2.89% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 78 | 120 | 406 | 599 | 714 | 0.36% | 0.56% | 1.76% | 2.68% | 3.41% |
| Total | 21,714 | 21,412 | 23,094 | 22,350 | 20,945 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 22,350 people, 8,335 households, and 5,622 families residing in the county.[21] The population density was 50.6 inhabitants per square mile (19.5/km2). There were 9,426 housing units at an average density of 21.3 per square mile (8.2/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 87.9% white, 8.3% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.[21] In terms of ancestry, 32.8% wereGerman, 14.3% wereIrish, 10.6% wereEnglish, 8.1% wereAmerican, and 6.3% werePolish.[22]
Of the 8,335 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.4 years.[21]
The median income for a household in the county was $40,696 and the median income for a family was $50,130. Males had a median income of $40,768 versus $28,377 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,926. About 11.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.[23]
Perry County never adopted a township form of government. Federal township plats were prepared for each township which include legal descriptions of 14 townships.[24]
Perry County has been divided into precincts: Beaucoup, Cutler, Denmark, DuQuoin, Paradise, Pinckneyville, Sunfield, Swanwick, Tamaroa and Willisville.[25] To provide election precincts of similar population based on recent census data, precincts are divided or combined to form election precincts. The election precincts in 2020 were: Beaucoup, Cutler, Du Quoin Number 1, Du Quoin Number 2, Du Quoin Number 3, Du Quoin Number 4, Du Quoin Number 5, Du Quoin Number 6, Du Quoin Number 7, Du Quoin Number 8, Du Quoin Number 9, Du Quoin Number 10, Du Quoin Number 11, Du Quoin Number 12, Pinckneyville Number 1, Pinckneyville Number 2, Pinckneyville Number 3, Pinckneyville Number 4, Pinckneyville Number 5, Pinckneyville Number 6, Pinckneyville Number 7, Pinckneyville Number 8, Sunfield, Swanwick, Tamaroa Number 1, Tamaroa Number 2, and Willisville.[26]
Perry County has been reliably Republican county since 2012, when it backedMitt Romney (R) by nearly 18 points over Illinois nativeBarack Obama, even as Obama won both Illinois and the country. By 2020 it was so heavily Republican that incumbent Donald Trump beat DemocratJoe Biden by nearly 45 points in his bid for reelection, even as Biden won the race nationally (and Illinois). The county last voted blue, by a very narrow margin of 0.6%, in 2000. The table below includes a list of Perry County's election results at the presidential level.
As of February 2025, the county is one of 7 that voted to join the state of Indiana.[28]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,840 | 44.14% | 1,980 | 47.49% | 349 | 8.37% |
| 1896 | 2,342 | 48.57% | 2,370 | 49.15% | 110 | 2.28% |
| 1900 | 2,336 | 48.25% | 2,321 | 47.94% | 184 | 3.80% |
| 1904 | 2,451 | 52.65% | 1,466 | 31.49% | 738 | 15.85% |
| 1908 | 2,392 | 46.27% | 2,482 | 48.01% | 296 | 5.73% |
| 1912 | 894 | 18.89% | 2,107 | 44.53% | 1,731 | 36.58% |
| 1916 | 4,796 | 49.70% | 4,445 | 46.07% | 408 | 4.23% |
| 1920 | 4,598 | 58.47% | 2,478 | 31.51% | 788 | 10.02% |
| 1924 | 3,693 | 39.76% | 3,007 | 32.37% | 2,589 | 27.87% |
| 1928 | 4,636 | 47.47% | 5,029 | 51.49% | 101 | 1.03% |
| 1932 | 3,778 | 32.85% | 7,400 | 64.34% | 324 | 2.82% |
| 1936 | 5,482 | 42.94% | 7,043 | 55.16% | 243 | 1.90% |
| 1940 | 7,243 | 52.35% | 6,539 | 47.26% | 55 | 0.40% |
| 1944 | 6,236 | 56.97% | 4,677 | 42.73% | 33 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 5,109 | 49.96% | 5,043 | 49.32% | 74 | 0.72% |
| 1952 | 6,580 | 55.19% | 5,340 | 44.79% | 3 | 0.03% |
| 1956 | 6,513 | 57.06% | 4,901 | 42.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 6,708 | 57.47% | 4,958 | 42.48% | 6 | 0.05% |
| 1964 | 4,287 | 39.24% | 6,639 | 60.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,384 | 49.02% | 4,449 | 40.51% | 1,150 | 10.47% |
| 1972 | 6,968 | 62.98% | 4,084 | 36.91% | 12 | 0.11% |
| 1976 | 5,286 | 46.39% | 5,976 | 52.44% | 133 | 1.17% |
| 1980 | 5,888 | 55.49% | 4,337 | 40.88% | 385 | 3.63% |
| 1984 | 5,852 | 55.88% | 4,584 | 43.77% | 36 | 0.34% |
| 1988 | 4,576 | 46.78% | 5,167 | 52.83% | 38 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 3,105 | 28.01% | 6,009 | 54.20% | 1,972 | 17.79% |
| 1996 | 3,237 | 32.63% | 5,347 | 53.90% | 1,337 | 13.48% |
| 2000 | 4,802 | 48.30% | 4,862 | 48.90% | 278 | 2.80% |
| 2004 | 5,589 | 53.61% | 4,770 | 45.76% | 66 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 5,086 | 50.89% | 4,701 | 47.03% | 208 | 2.08% |
| 2012 | 5,507 | 57.67% | 3,819 | 39.99% | 223 | 2.34% |
| 2016 | 6,855 | 69.42% | 2,462 | 24.93% | 557 | 5.64% |
| 2020 | 7,313 | 72.61% | 2,612 | 25.94% | 146 | 1.45% |
| 2024 | 6,949 | 75.00% | 2,146 | 23.16% | 170 | 1.83% |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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