Wayne County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Wayne County Courthouse in Fairfield | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:38°26′N88°25′W / 38.43°N 88.42°W /38.43; -88.42 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1819 |
| Named after | Anthony Wayne |
| Seat | Fairfield |
| Largest city | Fairfield |
| Area | |
• Total | 715 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| • Land | 714 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| • Water | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,179 |
• Estimate (2024) | 15,928 [1] |
| • Density | 22.3/sq mi (8.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | www |
Wayne County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 16,179.[2] Itscounty seat isFairfield.[3] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
Wayne County was formed in 1819 out ofEdwards County. It is named afterGen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne, an officer in theRevolutionary War andNorthwest Indian War.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 714 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Fairfield have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 4.80 inches (122 mm) in April.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1,114 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,553 | 129.2% | |
| 1840 | 5,133 | 101.1% | |
| 1850 | 6,825 | 33.0% | |
| 1860 | 12,223 | 79.1% | |
| 1870 | 19,758 | 61.6% | |
| 1880 | 21,291 | 7.8% | |
| 1890 | 23,806 | 11.8% | |
| 1900 | 27,626 | 16.0% | |
| 1910 | 25,697 | −7.0% | |
| 1920 | 22,772 | −11.4% | |
| 1930 | 19,130 | −16.0% | |
| 1940 | 22,092 | 15.5% | |
| 1950 | 20,933 | −5.2% | |
| 1960 | 19,008 | −9.2% | |
| 1970 | 17,004 | −10.5% | |
| 1980 | 18,059 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 17,241 | −4.5% | |
| 2000 | 17,151 | −0.5% | |
| 2010 | 16,760 | −2.3% | |
| 2020 | 16,179 | −3.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 15,928 | −1.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10] 2020[11] 2024[12] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 16,179. The median age was 42.8 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% 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 96.4 males age 18 and over.[13]
The racial makeup of the county was 95.5%White, 0.6%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 2.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.1% of the population.[14]
29.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 70.5% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 6,774 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.4% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 7,679 housing units, of which 11.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.9% were owner-occupied and 21.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.[13]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[16] | Pop 1990[17] | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[19] | Pop 2020[20] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 17,902 | 17,087 | 16,853 | 16,340 | 15,400 | 99.13% | 99.11% | 98.26% | 97.49% | 95.19% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6 | 8 | 19 | 40 | 90 | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.11% | 0.24% | 0.56% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 0.14% | 0.17% | 0.17% | 0.16% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 50 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 49 | 0.28% | 0.26% | 0.34% | 0.42% | 0.30% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[21] | x[22] | 1 | 1 | 5 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 14 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 0.08% | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.18% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[23] | x[24] | 84 | 105 | 398 | x | x | 0.49% | 0.63% | 2.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 61 | 72 | 103 | 176 | 182 | 0.34% | 0.42% | 0.60% | 1.05% | 1.12% |
| Total | 18,059 | 17,241 | 17,151 | 16,760 | 16,179 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 16,760 people, 7,102 households, and 4,853 families living in the county.[25] The population density was 23.5 inhabitants per square mile (9.1/km2). There were 7,975 housing units at an average density of 11.2 per square mile (4.3/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[25] In terms of ancestry, 17.0% wereGerman, 14.1% wereEnglish, 12.7% wereAmerican, and 9.8% wereIrish.[26]
Of the 7,102 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.9 years.[25]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,207 and the median income for a family was $47,879. Males had a median income of $34,800 versus $27,192 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,493. About 9.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.[27]
Wayne County is divided into these 20townships:
According to Department of Defense data, Wayne County has received six 5.56MM rifles and three "Utility Trucks" with a total acquisition cost of $120,705.[28]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,350 | 43.75% | 2,372 | 44.16% | 649 | 12.08% |
| 1896 | 2,906 | 47.80% | 3,102 | 51.03% | 71 | 1.17% |
| 1900 | 3,117 | 48.97% | 3,062 | 48.11% | 186 | 2.92% |
| 1904 | 3,078 | 52.63% | 2,416 | 41.31% | 354 | 6.05% |
| 1908 | 2,946 | 49.60% | 2,791 | 46.99% | 203 | 3.42% |
| 1912 | 1,418 | 25.20% | 2,378 | 42.26% | 1,831 | 32.54% |
| 1916 | 5,383 | 50.99% | 4,934 | 46.74% | 239 | 2.26% |
| 1920 | 4,908 | 60.50% | 3,137 | 38.67% | 68 | 0.84% |
| 1924 | 4,937 | 52.70% | 4,247 | 45.34% | 184 | 1.96% |
| 1928 | 5,189 | 62.04% | 3,108 | 37.16% | 67 | 0.80% |
| 1932 | 4,097 | 42.43% | 5,488 | 56.84% | 71 | 0.74% |
| 1936 | 5,528 | 48.79% | 5,752 | 50.77% | 50 | 0.44% |
| 1940 | 6,556 | 53.77% | 5,569 | 45.68% | 67 | 0.55% |
| 1944 | 5,683 | 58.21% | 4,019 | 41.17% | 61 | 0.62% |
| 1948 | 4,984 | 54.69% | 4,070 | 44.66% | 60 | 0.66% |
| 1952 | 6,495 | 62.34% | 3,911 | 37.54% | 12 | 0.12% |
| 1956 | 6,286 | 61.37% | 3,942 | 38.49% | 14 | 0.14% |
| 1960 | 6,652 | 62.67% | 3,954 | 37.25% | 9 | 0.08% |
| 1964 | 4,745 | 47.72% | 5,198 | 52.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,532 | 59.59% | 2,993 | 32.24% | 759 | 8.18% |
| 1972 | 6,400 | 69.75% | 2,763 | 30.11% | 12 | 0.13% |
| 1976 | 5,211 | 54.39% | 4,303 | 44.91% | 67 | 0.70% |
| 1980 | 6,013 | 62.92% | 3,258 | 34.09% | 286 | 2.99% |
| 1984 | 6,298 | 70.36% | 2,621 | 29.28% | 32 | 0.36% |
| 1988 | 5,481 | 63.29% | 3,135 | 36.20% | 44 | 0.51% |
| 1992 | 3,809 | 42.93% | 3,332 | 37.56% | 1,731 | 19.51% |
| 1996 | 4,029 | 49.50% | 3,054 | 37.52% | 1,057 | 12.99% |
| 2000 | 5,347 | 69.50% | 2,209 | 28.71% | 137 | 1.78% |
| 2004 | 6,102 | 73.63% | 2,139 | 25.81% | 46 | 0.56% |
| 2008 | 5,390 | 66.78% | 2,547 | 31.56% | 134 | 1.66% |
| 2012 | 5,988 | 77.80% | 1,514 | 19.67% | 195 | 2.53% |
| 2016 | 6,967 | 83.93% | 1,048 | 12.62% | 286 | 3.45% |
| 2020 | 7,176 | 84.43% | 1,187 | 13.97% | 136 | 1.60% |
| 2024 | 7,019 | 84.66% | 1,155 | 13.93% | 117 | 1.41% |
Places adjacent to Wayne County, Illinois | |
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Municipalities and communities ofWayne County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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