Putnam County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Putnam County Courthouse, Hennepin | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°12′N89°17′W / 41.2°N 89.28°W /41.2; -89.28 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1825 |
| Named after | Israel Putnam |
| Seat | Hennepin |
| Largest village | Granville |
| Area | |
• Total | 172 sq mi (450 km2) |
| • Land | 160 sq mi (410 km2) |
| • Water | 12 sq mi (31 km2) 7.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,637 |
• Estimate (2024) | 5,633 [1] |
| • Density | 35/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 14th,16th |
| Website | www |
Putnam County is the least extensivecounty in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 United States census, it had a population of 5,637.[2] Thecounty seat isHennepin.[3] The county was formed in 1825 out ofFulton County and named afterIsrael Putnam,[4] who was a general in the American Revolution. Putnam County is part of theOttawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 172 square miles (450 km2), of which 160 square miles (410 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (7.0%) is water.[5] It is the smallest county in Illinois by area.
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hennepin have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −30 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.14 inches (29 mm) in January to 4.32 inches (110 mm) in August.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 2,131 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,924 | 84.1% | |
| 1860 | 5,587 | 42.4% | |
| 1870 | 6,280 | 12.4% | |
| 1880 | 5,554 | −11.6% | |
| 1890 | 4,730 | −14.8% | |
| 1900 | 4,746 | 0.3% | |
| 1910 | 7,561 | 59.3% | |
| 1920 | 7,579 | 0.2% | |
| 1930 | 5,235 | −30.9% | |
| 1940 | 5,289 | 1.0% | |
| 1950 | 4,746 | −10.3% | |
| 1960 | 4,570 | −3.7% | |
| 1970 | 5,007 | 9.6% | |
| 1980 | 6,085 | 21.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,730 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 6,086 | 6.2% | |
| 2010 | 6,006 | −1.3% | |
| 2020 | 5,637 | −6.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 5,633 | [7] | −0.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12] | |||
| 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) | 6,039 | 5,569 | 5,817 | 5,654 | 5,073 | 99.24% | 97.19% | 95.58% | 94.14% | 89.99% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6 | 9 | 37 | 31 | 26 | 0.10% | 0.16% | 0.61% | 0.52% | 0.46% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 5 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.23% | 0.08% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 0.03% | 0.12% | 0.26% | 0.22% | 0.32% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[18] | x[19] | 0 | 1 | 4 | x | x | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.14% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 31 | 49 | 153 | x | x | 0.51% | 0.82% | 2.71% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 32 | 138 | 171 | 252 | 348 | 0.53% | 2.41% | 2.81% | 4.20% | 6.17% |
| Total | 6,085 | 5,730 | 6,086 | 6,006 | 5,637 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 census, there were 6,006 people, 2,509 households, and 1,734 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 37.5 inhabitants per square mile (14.5/km2). There were 3,074 housing units at an average density of 19.2 per square mile (7.4/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 46.5% wereGerman, 16.7% wereIrish, 16.3% wereItalian, 10.9% werePolish, 10.1% wereEnglish, 5.1% wereSwedish, and 3.5% wereAmerican.[23]
Of the 2,509 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.2 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $56,458 and the median income for a family was $68,875. Males had a median income of $50,205 versus $31,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,004. About 6.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.[24]
Putnam County is divided into fourtownships:
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Prior to 1988, Putnam County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections, backing the Republican candidate in all but three elections from 1892 to 1984. From 1988 to 2012, the county consistently backed Democratic Party presidential candidates, but none fared better than Illinois residentBarack Obama's 56.9% in 2008. However, he failed to win a majority of the county's votes four years later despite winning it overall in his 2012 reelection bid. This foreshadowed what was to come in the 2016 election, as the county swung 21.8 points Republican to backDonald Trump over Illinois-bornHillary Clinton by a margin of 19.9%.[25]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 561 | 49.04% | 514 | 44.93% | 69 | 6.03% |
| 1896 | 706 | 58.06% | 479 | 39.39% | 31 | 2.55% |
| 1900 | 738 | 60.29% | 450 | 36.76% | 36 | 2.94% |
| 1904 | 753 | 65.03% | 355 | 30.66% | 50 | 4.32% |
| 1908 | 834 | 62.99% | 413 | 31.19% | 77 | 5.82% |
| 1912 | 583 | 39.88% | 424 | 29.00% | 455 | 31.12% |
| 1916 | 1,444 | 62.48% | 785 | 33.97% | 82 | 3.55% |
| 1920 | 1,623 | 74.04% | 362 | 16.51% | 207 | 9.44% |
| 1924 | 1,364 | 61.50% | 260 | 11.72% | 594 | 26.78% |
| 1928 | 1,387 | 61.10% | 869 | 38.28% | 14 | 0.62% |
| 1932 | 1,050 | 39.61% | 1,554 | 58.62% | 47 | 1.77% |
| 1936 | 1,435 | 49.47% | 1,437 | 49.53% | 29 | 1.00% |
| 1940 | 1,778 | 59.56% | 1,195 | 40.03% | 12 | 0.40% |
| 1944 | 1,521 | 63.48% | 865 | 36.10% | 10 | 0.42% |
| 1948 | 1,405 | 60.15% | 905 | 38.74% | 26 | 1.11% |
| 1952 | 1,691 | 62.56% | 1,010 | 37.37% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1956 | 1,724 | 65.28% | 913 | 34.57% | 4 | 0.15% |
| 1960 | 1,457 | 55.63% | 1,160 | 44.29% | 2 | 0.08% |
| 1964 | 1,131 | 45.42% | 1,359 | 54.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,351 | 53.93% | 988 | 39.44% | 166 | 6.63% |
| 1972 | 1,665 | 59.74% | 1,112 | 39.90% | 10 | 0.36% |
| 1976 | 1,572 | 53.13% | 1,344 | 45.42% | 43 | 1.45% |
| 1980 | 1,959 | 57.38% | 1,158 | 33.92% | 297 | 8.70% |
| 1984 | 1,912 | 56.02% | 1,487 | 43.57% | 14 | 0.41% |
| 1988 | 1,516 | 48.30% | 1,601 | 51.00% | 22 | 0.70% |
| 1992 | 969 | 29.29% | 1,574 | 47.58% | 765 | 23.13% |
| 1996 | 987 | 35.71% | 1,425 | 51.56% | 352 | 12.74% |
| 2000 | 1,437 | 45.20% | 1,657 | 52.12% | 85 | 2.67% |
| 2004 | 1,623 | 48.42% | 1,704 | 50.84% | 25 | 0.75% |
| 2008 | 1,378 | 41.23% | 1,900 | 56.85% | 64 | 1.92% |
| 2012 | 1,502 | 47.79% | 1,559 | 49.60% | 82 | 2.61% |
| 2016 | 1,767 | 56.78% | 1,147 | 36.86% | 198 | 6.36% |
| 2020 | 1,993 | 58.70% | 1,338 | 39.41% | 64 | 1.89% |
| 2024 | 2,014 | 60.16% | 1,254 | 37.46% | 80 | 2.39% |
K-12 school districts which cover portions of the county includeHenry-Senachwine Consolidated Unit School District 5 andPutnam County Community Unit School District 535. Additionally, two small portions are in thePrinceton Elementary School District 115 and thePrinceton High School District 500.[27]
Places adjacent to Putnam County, Illinois | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPutnam County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Villages |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
