Hamilton County | |
|---|---|
 Hamilton County Courthouse in McLeansboro | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°05′N88°32′W / 38.08°N 88.54°W /38.08; -88.54 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | Alexander Hamilton |
| Seat | McLeansboro |
| Largest city | McLeansboro |
| Area | |
• Total | 436 sq mi (1,130 km2) |
| • Land | 435 sq mi (1,130 km2) |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,993 |
• Estimate (2023) | 7,911 |
| • Density | 18/sq mi (7.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | www |
Hamilton County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. As of the2020 census, its population was 7,993.[1] Itscounty seat isMcLeansboro.[2] It is located in the southern portion of the state, known locally as "Little Egypt".
Hamilton County was formed out ofWhite County in 1821. It is named forAlexander Hamilton,Revolutionary War hero and the firstUnited States Secretary of the Treasury.[3]
On March 18, 1925, the infamousTri-State Tornado tore across the county, destroying dozens of homes and farms in Flannigan, Twigg, Mayberry, and Crook townships, and killing 37 people.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4]
| McLeansboro, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of McLeansboro have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.76 inches (70 mm) in February to 4.67 inches (119 mm) in May.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,616 | — | |
| 1840 | 3,945 | 50.8% | |
| 1850 | 6,362 | 61.3% | |
| 1860 | 9,915 | 55.8% | |
| 1870 | 13,014 | 31.3% | |
| 1880 | 16,712 | 28.4% | |
| 1890 | 17,800 | 6.5% | |
| 1900 | 20,197 | 13.5% | |
| 1910 | 18,227 | −9.8% | |
| 1920 | 15,920 | −12.7% | |
| 1930 | 12,995 | −18.4% | |
| 1940 | 13,454 | 3.5% | |
| 1950 | 12,256 | −8.9% | |
| 1960 | 10,010 | −18.3% | |
| 1970 | 8,665 | −13.4% | |
| 1980 | 9,172 | 5.9% | |
| 1990 | 8,499 | −7.3% | |
| 2000 | 8,621 | 1.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,457 | −1.9% | |
| 2020 | 7,993 | −5.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 7,911 | [6] | −1.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 8,457 people, 3,489 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 19.5 inhabitants per square mile (7.5/km2). There were 4,104 housing units at an average density of 9.4 per square mile (3.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 33.1% wereGerman, 20.7% wereIrish, 11.4% wereEnglish, and 10.3% wereAmerican.[12]
Of the 3,489 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 43.1 years.[11]
The median income for a household in the county was $35,032 and the median income for a family was $50,878. Males had a median income of $45,245 versus $23,491 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,602. About 8.2% of families and 14.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.[13]
Hamilton County is divided into twelvetownships:
Like most ofSouthern-leaningSouthern Illinois, Hamilton County was heavily Democratic beforethe Civil War, and unlike such counties asJohnson,Pope andMassac, it did not turn Republican after the war. Not until 1920, when isolationist sentiments turned many voters against the party ofWoodrow Wilson, did Hamilton County vote Republican, andHerbert Hoover was to carry the county in 1928 due to anti-Catholic sentiment againstAl Smith.
From 1940 onwards, whenWendell Willkie carried the county due to opposition to involvement inWorld War II, Hamilton has become increasingly Republican. AlthoughLyndon Johnson,Jimmy Carter in 1976 andBill Clinton in 1992 all gained absolute majorities for the Democratic Party (withMichael Dukakis losing the county by just four votes in 1988), a rapid swing to the Republicans has taken place since 1992. This trend matches all traditionally Democratic parts of theUpland South.[14]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 3,385 | 80.71% | 739 | 17.62% | 70 | 1.67% |
| 2020 | 3,432 | 79.39% | 824 | 19.06% | 67 | 1.55% |
| 2016 | 3,206 | 77.14% | 802 | 19.30% | 148 | 3.56% |
| 2012 | 2,566 | 65.11% | 1,269 | 32.20% | 106 | 2.69% |
| 2008 | 2,353 | 54.93% | 1,796 | 41.92% | 135 | 3.15% |
| 2004 | 2,653 | 58.77% | 1,814 | 40.19% | 47 | 1.04% |
| 2000 | 2,519 | 54.92% | 1,943 | 42.36% | 125 | 2.73% |
| 1996 | 1,677 | 37.19% | 2,242 | 49.72% | 590 | 13.08% |
| 1992 | 1,521 | 30.58% | 2,582 | 51.91% | 871 | 17.51% |
| 1988 | 2,622 | 49.89% | 2,618 | 49.81% | 16 | 0.30% |
| 1984 | 3,074 | 57.50% | 2,251 | 42.11% | 21 | 0.39% |
| 1980 | 3,254 | 59.64% | 1,990 | 36.47% | 212 | 3.89% |
| 1976 | 2,433 | 44.25% | 3,036 | 55.22% | 29 | 0.53% |
| 1972 | 3,282 | 61.94% | 2,006 | 37.86% | 11 | 0.21% |
| 1968 | 2,912 | 52.82% | 1,951 | 35.39% | 650 | 11.79% |
| 1964 | 2,561 | 44.98% | 3,133 | 55.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 3,804 | 58.94% | 2,639 | 40.89% | 11 | 0.17% |
| 1956 | 3,675 | 57.75% | 2,685 | 42.19% | 4 | 0.06% |
| 1952 | 4,047 | 60.25% | 2,662 | 39.63% | 8 | 0.12% |
| 1948 | 2,887 | 50.93% | 2,750 | 48.51% | 32 | 0.56% |
| 1944 | 3,582 | 54.68% | 2,914 | 44.48% | 55 | 0.84% |
| 1940 | 4,005 | 51.69% | 3,691 | 47.64% | 52 | 0.67% |
| 1936 | 3,321 | 44.07% | 4,152 | 55.10% | 62 | 0.82% |
| 1932 | 2,513 | 37.98% | 4,059 | 61.34% | 45 | 0.68% |
| 1928 | 3,275 | 51.08% | 3,037 | 47.36% | 100 | 1.56% |
| 1924 | 2,659 | 44.02% | 3,168 | 52.44% | 214 | 3.54% |
| 1920 | 3,220 | 54.71% | 2,591 | 44.02% | 75 | 1.27% |
| 1916 | 3,239 | 46.26% | 3,644 | 52.05% | 118 | 1.69% |
| 1912 | 1,242 | 31.33% | 1,920 | 48.44% | 802 | 20.23% |
| 1908 | 1,809 | 44.26% | 2,128 | 52.07% | 150 | 3.67% |
| 1904 | 1,894 | 45.65% | 2,049 | 49.39% | 206 | 4.97% |
| 1900 | 1,911 | 42.95% | 2,467 | 55.45% | 71 | 1.60% |
| 1896 | 1,767 | 41.92% | 2,408 | 57.13% | 40 | 0.95% |
| 1892 | 1,505 | 39.80% | 2,061 | 54.51% | 215 | 5.69% |
Places adjacent to Hamilton County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHamilton County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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