DeKalb County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 DeKalb County Court House,Sycamore, Illinois | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°53′N88°46′W / 41.89°N 88.77°W /41.89; -88.77 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | March 4, 1837 |
| Named after | Johann de Kalb |
| Seat | Sycamore |
| Largest city | DeKalb |
| Area | |
• Total | 635 sq mi (1,640 km2) |
| • Land | 631 sq mi (1,630 km2) |
| • Water | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 100,420 |
• Estimate (2024) | 101,335 [1] |
| • Density | 159/sq mi (61.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 11th,14th,16th |
| Website | www |
DeKalb County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 100,420.[2] Itscounty seat isSycamore.[3] DeKalb County is part of theChicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
DeKalb County was formed on March 4, 1837,[4] out ofKane County, Illinois. The county was named forJohann de Kalb,[5] a German (Bavarian) hero of theAmerican Revolutionary War. DeKalb County's area is approximately 632.7 square miles, and it is located 63 miles west of Chicago. There are 19 townships in the county; the county seat is Sycamore.
Between 1834 and 1837, after thePotawatomi people had been pushed out, European Americans formed settlements in DeKalb County along streams and wooded areas due to fertile soil, wild game, and food and water opportunities. Primary growth stemmed from the introduction of the railroad, which brought easier methods of transportation and opportunities for industrial growth. Early industries based in DeKalb County included Sandwich Mfg. Co, Marsh Harvester Co,barbed wire, andGurler Bros Pure Milk Co.
The county is noted for agriculture. In 1852, the DeKalb Agricultural Society produced the county's first Agricultural Fair, in Sycamore. Eventually farmers, businessmen, bankers and newspapermen organized to become the DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association, which later was split into DeKalb County Farm Bureau and DeKalb Agricultural Association (DEKALB AgResearch, Inc., Monsanto). DeKalb County is credited with being the birthplace of the Farm Bureau movement. DeKalb County is the 2nd largest hog producing county in Illinois and the 66th largest in the nation.
Education has played an important role in the area:Northern Illinois University is located inDeKalb andKishwaukee College is located inMalta. Except for 2020 (due to theCOVID-19 pandemic), a major fair has been held each year since 1887 at theSandwich Fairgrounds in Sandwich.
Unlike similarly spelled locations, such asDeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb denizens from Illinois pronounce the county name/dɪˈkælb/di-KALB, with an L sound, as in German, after its namesake.
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 631 square miles (1,630 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.[6]
| Sycamore, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sycamore have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.40 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.49 inches (114 mm) in June.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,697 | — | |
| 1850 | 7,540 | 344.3% | |
| 1860 | 19,086 | 153.1% | |
| 1870 | 23,265 | 21.9% | |
| 1880 | 26,768 | 15.1% | |
| 1890 | 27,066 | 1.1% | |
| 1900 | 31,756 | 17.3% | |
| 1910 | 33,457 | 5.4% | |
| 1920 | 31,339 | −6.3% | |
| 1930 | 32,644 | 4.2% | |
| 1940 | 34,388 | 5.3% | |
| 1950 | 40,781 | 18.6% | |
| 1960 | 51,714 | 26.8% | |
| 1970 | 71,654 | 38.6% | |
| 1980 | 74,624 | 4.1% | |
| 1990 | 77,932 | 4.4% | |
| 2000 | 88,969 | 14.2% | |
| 2010 | 105,160 | 18.2% | |
| 2020 | 100,420 | −4.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 101,335 | [8] | 0.9% |
| US Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[13] | Pop 1990[14] | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 70,273 | 71,693 | 75,772 | 83,825 | 71,249 | 94.17% | 91.99% | 85.17% | 79.71% | 70.95% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,649 | 2,036 | 4,040 | 6,579 | 8,730 | 2.21% | 2.61% | 4.54% | 6.26% | 8.69% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 98 | 110 | 146 | 127 | 119 | 0.13% | 0.14% | 0.16% | 0.12% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 710 | 1,715 | 2,067 | 2,400 | 2,280 | 0.95% | 2.20% | 2.32% | 2.28% | 2.27% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[18] | x[19] | 40 | 19 | 29 | x | x | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 489 | 49 | 92 | 114 | 298 | 0.66% | 0.06% | 0.10% | 0.11% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 982 | 1,449 | 4,118 | x | x | 1.10% | 1.38% | 4.10% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,405 | 2,329 | 5,830 | 10,647 | 13,597 | 1.88% | 2.99% | 6.55% | 10.12% | 13.54% |
| Total | 74,624 | 77,932 | 88,969 | 105,160 | 100,420 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 105,160 people, 38,484 households, and 23,781 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 166.6 inhabitants per square mile (64.3/km2). There were 41,079 housing units at an average density of 65.1 per square mile (25.1/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 85.1% white, 6.4% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.1% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 32.6% wereGerman, 17.5% wereIrish, 8.7% wereEnglish, 7.0% werePolish, 6.4% wereItalian, 6.3% wereSwedish, and 4.7% wereNorwegian.[23]
Of the 38,484 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 29.3 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $54,002 and the median income for a family was $70,713. Males had a median income of $50,192 versus $35,246 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,179. About 7.7% of families and 14.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.[24]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 3,789 | 60.72% | 1,926 | 30.87% | 525 | 8.41% |
| 1896 | 5,598 | 72.38% | 1,881 | 24.32% | 255 | 3.30% |
| 1900 | 5,923 | 73.03% | 1,881 | 23.19% | 306 | 3.77% |
| 1904 | 5,957 | 77.43% | 1,137 | 14.78% | 599 | 7.79% |
| 1908 | 5,866 | 72.50% | 1,732 | 21.41% | 493 | 6.09% |
| 1912 | 1,776 | 24.28% | 1,568 | 21.44% | 3,970 | 54.28% |
| 1916 | 9,764 | 71.29% | 3,386 | 24.72% | 547 | 3.99% |
| 1920 | 10,374 | 83.93% | 1,700 | 13.75% | 287 | 2.32% |
| 1924 | 10,500 | 76.40% | 1,540 | 11.20% | 1,704 | 12.40% |
| 1928 | 11,501 | 74.19% | 3,940 | 25.41% | 62 | 0.40% |
| 1932 | 9,356 | 56.38% | 6,923 | 41.72% | 315 | 1.90% |
| 1936 | 9,826 | 53.77% | 7,899 | 43.22% | 550 | 3.01% |
| 1940 | 12,577 | 63.95% | 6,989 | 35.53% | 102 | 0.52% |
| 1944 | 12,157 | 66.76% | 6,004 | 32.97% | 49 | 0.27% |
| 1948 | 11,380 | 68.69% | 5,082 | 30.68% | 105 | 0.63% |
| 1952 | 14,807 | 74.23% | 5,110 | 25.62% | 30 | 0.15% |
| 1956 | 15,078 | 75.66% | 4,826 | 24.22% | 25 | 0.13% |
| 1960 | 15,586 | 69.62% | 6,783 | 30.30% | 19 | 0.08% |
| 1964 | 11,791 | 53.48% | 10,257 | 46.52% | 1 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 14,535 | 63.20% | 6,974 | 30.32% | 1,490 | 6.48% |
| 1972 | 18,910 | 60.25% | 12,375 | 39.43% | 99 | 0.32% |
| 1976 | 18,193 | 59.21% | 11,535 | 37.54% | 1,000 | 3.25% |
| 1980 | 16,370 | 53.91% | 8,913 | 29.35% | 5,082 | 16.74% |
| 1984 | 20,294 | 64.50% | 10,942 | 34.78% | 229 | 0.73% |
| 1988 | 17,182 | 58.86% | 11,811 | 40.46% | 197 | 0.67% |
| 1992 | 12,655 | 36.97% | 13,744 | 40.15% | 7,833 | 22.88% |
| 1996 | 12,380 | 43.40% | 12,715 | 44.57% | 3,432 | 12.03% |
| 2000 | 17,139 | 51.57% | 14,798 | 44.53% | 1,296 | 3.90% |
| 2004 | 21,095 | 51.74% | 19,263 | 47.25% | 410 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 18,266 | 40.61% | 25,784 | 57.33% | 924 | 2.05% |
| 2012 | 18,934 | 45.91% | 21,207 | 51.42% | 1,100 | 2.67% |
| 2016 | 19,091 | 43.79% | 20,466 | 46.94% | 4,043 | 9.27% |
| 2020 | 21,905 | 45.65% | 24,643 | 51.35% | 1,441 | 3.00% |
| 2024 | 22,716 | 47.75% | 23,648 | 49.71% | 1,206 | 2.54% |
As part ofNorthern Illinois, DeKalb County was a stronghold for theFree Soil Party in its early elections – being among nine Illinois counties to supportMartin Van Buren in1848 – and became overwhelminglyRepublican for the century following that party's formation. The only time it did not back the official GOP nominee between1856 and1988 was in1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided andProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt won almost half the county's vote.
During this time, it rejectedDemocrats even in statewide and national landslides. In1936, Republican nomineeAlf Landon won DeKalb County by double digits while losing 46 of 48 states. Landon heldFranklin D. Roosevelt to only 43 percent of DeKalb County's vote, the most he would garner in the county during his four runs for president. EvenBarry Goldwater – renowned for his antagonism towards the establishment – won by seven percent in1964, despite losing sixteen percent of the vote compared toRichard Nixon in1960.
In1992, with the third-party entrance ofRoss Perot siphoning votes from RepublicanGeorge H. W. Bush,Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to carry the county in 140 years. Clinton would narrowly win the county again in1996, carrying the county by 335 votes over Republican nomineeBob Dole.
Northern Illinois University is in the county.
The following school districts have territory in the county, no matter how slight, even if their schools and/or administrative headquarters are in other counties:[26]
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary:
Places adjacent to DeKalb County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofDeKalb County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
41°53′37″N88°46′13″W / 41.89361°N 88.77028°W /41.89361; -88.77028
