Tazewell County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Tazewell County Courthouse in Pekin | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:40°31′N89°31′W / 40.51°N 89.51°W /40.51; -89.51 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1827 |
| Named after | Littleton Waller Tazewell |
| Seat | Pekin |
| Largest city | Pekin |
| Area | |
• Total | 658 sq mi (1,700 km2) |
| • Land | 649 sq mi (1,680 km2) |
| • Water | 9.0 sq mi (23 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 131,343 |
• Estimate (2024) | 129,821 [1] |
| • Density | 202/sq mi (78.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 16th,17th |
| Website | www |
Tazewell County (/ˈtæzwɛl/) is located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 131,343.[2] Itscounty seat and largest city isPekin.[3] It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze."
Tazewell County is part of thePeoria metropolitan area. The majority of the population lives along the county's western border.
Tazewell County was formed out ofPeoria County in 1827. The consensus appears to be that it was named in honor ofLittleton Tazewell, who served in the U.S. Senate, and who became Governor of Virginia in 1834. It is, however, possible that it was named after Littleton's father, prominent Virginia politicianHenry Tazewell, after whomTazewell County,Virginia, was named.
The first county seat was inMackinaw from 1827 to 1836.[4][5] It was moved temporarily from Mackinaw to Pekin in June 1831, with the county court proceedings in the Snell schoolhouse.[4][5] It moved to Tremont in 1836.[4][6] After a political struggle between Tremont and Pekin, the county seat was reassigned to Pekin in 1849.[4]
![Tazewell from the time of its creation to 1829, including a large tract of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it, whose precise border was not defined.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTazewell_County_Illinois_1827.png)
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 658 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 649 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km2) (1.4%) is water.[8]
The following Illinois State Park & Natural Areas are located in Tazewell County:[9]
| Pekin, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pekin have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1884 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.50 inches (38 mm) in January to 4.17 inches (106 mm) in May.[10]
The following public-use airports are located in Tazewell County:[11]
Bus and paratransit service in Tazewell County is provided byPeoria's “CityLink” system, operating six routes (four originating from Peoria) seven days a week.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 4,716 | — | |
| 1840 | 7,221 | 53.1% | |
| 1850 | 12,052 | 66.9% | |
| 1860 | 21,470 | 78.1% | |
| 1870 | 27,903 | 30.0% | |
| 1880 | 29,666 | 6.3% | |
| 1890 | 29,556 | −0.4% | |
| 1900 | 33,221 | 12.4% | |
| 1910 | 34,027 | 2.4% | |
| 1920 | 38,540 | 13.3% | |
| 1930 | 46,082 | 19.6% | |
| 1940 | 58,362 | 26.6% | |
| 1950 | 76,165 | 30.5% | |
| 1960 | 99,789 | 31.0% | |
| 1970 | 118,649 | 18.9% | |
| 1980 | 132,078 | 11.3% | |
| 1990 | 123,692 | −6.3% | |
| 2000 | 128,485 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 135,394 | 5.4% | |
| 2020 | 131,343 | −3.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 129,821 | [12] | −1.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010[17] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 131,343. The median age was 41.9 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over.[18]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.2%White, 1.3%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 4.7% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.[19]
78.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 21.8% lived in rural areas.[20]
There were 53,985 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.0% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 58,550 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.7% were owner-occupied and 24.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.[18]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[21] | Pop 1990[22] | Pop 2000[23] | Pop 2010[24] | Pop 2020[25] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 130,406 | 122,037 | 124,270 | 128,625 | 119,882 | 98.73% | 98.66% | 96.72% | 95.00% | 91.27% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 203 | 183 | 1,115 | 1,351 | 1,629 | 0.15% | 0.15% | 0.87% 1.00% | 1.24% | |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 180 | 213 | 293 | 307 | 279 | 0.14% | 0.17% | 0.23% 0.23% | 0.21% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 404 | 423 | 654 | 990 | 1,080 | 0.31% | 0.34% | 0.51% 0.73% | 0.82% | |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[26] | x[27] | 9 | 30 | 41 | x | x | 0.01% 0.02% | 0.03% | |
| Other race alone (NH) | 77 | 11 | 35 | 122 | 324 | 0.06% | 0.01% | 0.03% 0.09% | 0.25% | |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[28] | x[29] | 778 | 1,455 | 4,947 | x | x | 0.61% 1.07% | 3.77% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 808 | 825 | 1,331 | 2,514 | 3,161 | 0.61% | 0.67% | 1.04% 1.86% | 2.41% | |
| Total | 132,078 | 123,692 | 128,485 | 135,394 | 131,343 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 135,394 people, 54,146 households, and 37,163 families living in the county.[30] The population density was 208.6 inhabitants per square mile (80.5/km2). There were 57,516 housing units at an average density of 88.6 per square mile (34.2/km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.[30] In terms of ancestry, 35.6% wereGerman, 15.6% wereAmerican, 14.4% wereIrish, and 12.0% wereEnglish.[31]
Of the 54,146 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 39.8 years.[30]
The median income for a household in the county was $54,232 and the median income for a family was $66,764. Males had a median income of $50,372 versus $34,747 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,036. About 6.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.[32]
Tazewell County is divided into thesetownships:
Tazewell County has been solidly Republican on the national level, voting for the Republican candidate for U.S. president since 1996 and in all but two elections since 1952.
For the purposes of Illinois law, as of the 2022 general primary election, the three established political parties in the county are the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and theLibertarian Party as all have received 5% or greater of the vote in a recent election. A relative rarity, Tazewell is one of only five counties where the Libertarian Party was an established political party in 2022.[33] The Libertarian Party's established political party status allows it to have the same reduced barriers to ballot access as the Democratic and Republican parties and to hold primary elections.[34] In the 2022 primary, 20 voters requested a Libertarian primary ballot.[33]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 3,030 | 43.63% | 3,652 | 52.59% | 262 | 3.77% |
| 1896 | 3,703 | 48.72% | 3,743 | 49.24% | 155 | 2.04% |
| 1900 | 3,957 | 48.05% | 4,048 | 49.16% | 230 | 2.79% |
| 1904 | 4,051 | 52.41% | 3,255 | 42.11% | 423 | 5.47% |
| 1908 | 3,767 | 47.55% | 3,786 | 47.78% | 370 | 4.67% |
| 1912 | 2,500 | 32.40% | 3,654 | 47.35% | 1,563 | 20.25% |
| 1916 | 6,672 | 47.56% | 6,743 | 48.07% | 613 | 4.37% |
| 1920 | 7,679 | 62.69% | 3,640 | 29.71% | 931 | 7.60% |
| 1924 | 7,488 | 52.11% | 3,375 | 23.49% | 3,507 | 24.41% |
| 1928 | 9,409 | 56.73% | 6,910 | 41.66% | 267 | 1.61% |
| 1932 | 7,260 | 34.48% | 13,591 | 64.55% | 204 | 0.97% |
| 1936 | 7,946 | 32.07% | 16,487 | 66.55% | 341 | 1.38% |
| 1940 | 12,419 | 41.18% | 17,624 | 58.44% | 116 | 0.38% |
| 1944 | 12,531 | 46.34% | 14,412 | 53.30% | 96 | 0.36% |
| 1948 | 12,504 | 46.70% | 14,131 | 52.77% | 143 | 0.53% |
| 1952 | 20,763 | 55.14% | 16,862 | 44.78% | 28 | 0.07% |
| 1956 | 23,690 | 59.27% | 16,230 | 40.61% | 50 | 0.13% |
| 1960 | 23,967 | 53.83% | 20,521 | 46.09% | 38 | 0.09% |
| 1964 | 17,170 | 37.55% | 28,561 | 62.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 22,971 | 47.44% | 20,712 | 42.77% | 4,739 | 9.79% |
| 1972 | 31,937 | 67.08% | 15,576 | 32.71% | 100 | 0.21% |
| 1976 | 28,951 | 55.14% | 22,821 | 43.47% | 731 | 1.39% |
| 1980 | 35,481 | 62.84% | 16,924 | 29.97% | 4,057 | 7.19% |
| 1984 | 33,782 | 59.15% | 23,095 | 40.44% | 238 | 0.42% |
| 1988 | 28,861 | 53.72% | 24,603 | 45.79% | 263 | 0.49% |
| 1992 | 23,469 | 39.12% | 26,428 | 44.05% | 10,097 | 16.83% |
| 1996 | 24,395 | 45.45% | 24,139 | 44.97% | 5,144 | 9.58% |
| 2000 | 31,537 | 54.05% | 25,379 | 43.50% | 1,432 | 2.45% |
| 2004 | 36,058 | 57.84% | 25,814 | 41.41% | 466 | 0.75% |
| 2008 | 33,247 | 51.90% | 29,384 | 45.87% | 1,429 | 2.23% |
| 2012 | 35,335 | 57.66% | 24,438 | 39.88% | 1,509 | 2.46% |
| 2016 | 38,707 | 59.78% | 20,685 | 31.95% | 5,359 | 8.28% |
| 2020 | 42,513 | 61.37% | 24,819 | 35.83% | 1,944 | 2.81% |
| 2024 | 42,451 | 62.02% | 24,325 | 35.54% | 1,666 | 2.43% |
K-12 school districts include:[36]
Secondary school districts include:[36]
Elementary school districts include:[36]
Places adjacent to Tazewell County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofTazewell County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
