Henry County | |
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 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°21′N90°08′W / 41.35°N 90.14°W /41.35; -90.14 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | January 13, 1825 |
| Named after | Patrick Henry |
| Seat | Cambridge |
| Largest city | Kewanee |
| Area | |
• Total | 826 sq mi (2,140 km2) |
| • Land | 823 sq mi (2,130 km2) |
| • Water | 2.7 sq mi (7 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 49,284 |
• Estimate (2023) | 48,448 |
| • Density | 60/sq mi (23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 16th,17th |
| Website | www |
Henry County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. The2020 United States census, listed its population at 49,284.[1] Itscounty seat isCambridge.[2] Henry County is included in theDavenport-Moline-Rock Island,IA-ILMetropolitan Statistical Area.[3]
Henry County was formed on January 13, 1825, out ofFulton County, Illinois. It is named forRevolutionary War figurePatrick Henry.[4] The county was settled by people fromNew England and westernNew York, descendants of English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. The New England settlers founded the five towns of Andover, Wethersfield,Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange.[5]
The settlement of Cambridge came about in 1843, when the owner of the land in that area (Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury) dedicated a section of his properties to a town council; lots were sold to incoming settlers, and construction of the town proper began on June 9, 1843. The incoming "Yankee" settlers made Henry County culturally similar to earlyNew England culture.[6][7]
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 826 square miles (2,140 km2), of which 823 square miles (2,130 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8] It is the 29th largest of Illinois' 102 counties. The area is fairly flat, withelevations ranging from 650 feet abovesea level in the northwest to 850 in the southeast. About 456,596 acres (1,847.78 km2) or 86.7% of the county's land area, is used for agriculture.[9]
| Cambridge, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Cambridge 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 −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 inches (39 mm) in January to 4.32 inches (110 mm) in August.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 41 | — | |
| 1840 | 1,260 | 2,973.2% | |
| 1850 | 3,807 | 202.1% | |
| 1860 | 20,660 | 442.7% | |
| 1870 | 35,506 | 71.9% | |
| 1880 | 36,597 | 3.1% | |
| 1890 | 33,338 | −8.9% | |
| 1900 | 40,049 | 20.1% | |
| 1910 | 41,736 | 4.2% | |
| 1920 | 45,162 | 8.2% | |
| 1930 | 43,851 | −2.9% | |
| 1940 | 43,798 | −0.1% | |
| 1950 | 46,492 | 6.2% | |
| 1960 | 49,317 | 6.1% | |
| 1970 | 53,217 | 7.9% | |
| 1980 | 57,968 | 8.9% | |
| 1990 | 51,159 | −11.7% | |
| 2000 | 51,020 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 50,486 | −1.0% | |
| 2020 | 49,284 | −2.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 48,448 | [11] | −1.7% |
| US Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010[16] | |||
As of the2010 United States Census, there were 50,486 people, 20,373 households, and 14,149 families residing in the county.[17] The population density was 61.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.7/km2). There were 22,161 housing units at an average density of 26.9 per square mile (10.4/km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.[17] In terms of ancestry, 30.0% wereGerman, 14.6% wereIrish, 12.3% wereSwedish, 11.5% wereEnglish, and 7.2% wereAmerican.[18]
Of the 20,373 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.[17]
The median income for a household in the county was $49,164 and the median income for a family was $61,467. Males had a median income of $44,589 versus $30,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,915. About 6.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.[19]
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Henry County's political history is fairly typical of manyYankee-settled rural counties in Illinois. After being largely Democratic in its first few elections, the county turned powerfully Republican for the 110 years following the formation of that party. The only time it did not vote Republican between 1856 and 1960 was in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided andProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt won a majority of the county's ballots. In 1964, when the Republican Party nominated the Southern-orientedBarry Goldwater, Henry County voted Democratic for the first time since 1852, but as was typical for Yankee counties it returned to the Republicans with the selection of the more moderateRichard Nixon.
In the 1980s, the transition of the Republican Party into a party largely based aroundSouthern Evangelicals severely alienated its historic Yankee base: Henry County turned to DemocratMichael Dukakis in 1988, and voted Democratic in every election between 1988 and 2012 except that of 2004 whenGeorge W. Bush carried the county by 5.1 percent. However, concern with unemployment and trade deals in the “Rust Belt” resulted in a powerful swing to RepublicanDonald Trump in 2016 – the worst Democratic result in the county sinceJimmy Carter in 1980. In 2020, Trump built on his win in 2016, capturing 60% of the vote - the highest Republican percentage in 40 years.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 15,359 | 60.99% | 9,226 | 36.64% | 596 | 2.37% |
| 2020 | 15,300 | 59.53% | 9,797 | 38.12% | 604 | 2.35% |
| 2016 | 13,985 | 56.75% | 8,871 | 36.00% | 1,787 | 7.25% |
| 2012 | 11,583 | 47.46% | 12,332 | 50.53% | 490 | 2.01% |
| 2008 | 11,263 | 45.33% | 13,181 | 53.04% | 405 | 1.63% |
| 2004 | 13,212 | 52.34% | 11,877 | 47.05% | 152 | 0.60% |
| 2000 | 10,896 | 46.43% | 11,921 | 50.79% | 653 | 2.78% |
| 1996 | 8,393 | 38.33% | 11,201 | 51.15% | 2,303 | 10.52% |
| 1992 | 8,989 | 36.88% | 11,077 | 45.45% | 4,305 | 17.66% |
| 1988 | 11,358 | 49.28% | 11,594 | 50.30% | 96 | 0.42% |
| 1984 | 14,504 | 57.41% | 10,679 | 42.27% | 79 | 0.31% |
| 1980 | 14,506 | 59.93% | 7,977 | 32.95% | 1,723 | 7.12% |
| 1976 | 12,849 | 56.03% | 9,822 | 42.83% | 263 | 1.15% |
| 1972 | 14,796 | 63.82% | 8,368 | 36.09% | 21 | 0.09% |
| 1968 | 12,524 | 55.10% | 8,455 | 37.20% | 1,752 | 7.71% |
| 1964 | 10,644 | 46.83% | 12,085 | 53.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 14,297 | 57.91% | 10,372 | 42.01% | 21 | 0.09% |
| 1956 | 15,896 | 65.46% | 8,349 | 34.38% | 39 | 0.16% |
| 1952 | 16,301 | 65.49% | 8,558 | 34.38% | 33 | 0.13% |
| 1948 | 12,363 | 58.84% | 8,489 | 40.40% | 159 | 0.76% |
| 1944 | 13,539 | 59.48% | 9,130 | 40.11% | 92 | 0.40% |
| 1940 | 14,971 | 58.37% | 10,481 | 40.86% | 196 | 0.76% |
| 1936 | 11,953 | 49.61% | 11,490 | 47.69% | 651 | 2.70% |
| 1932 | 11,376 | 51.25% | 10,122 | 45.60% | 701 | 3.16% |
| 1928 | 14,666 | 70.83% | 5,858 | 28.29% | 183 | 0.88% |
| 1924 | 13,159 | 72.39% | 1,944 | 10.69% | 3,076 | 16.92% |
| 1920 | 12,379 | 78.96% | 2,530 | 16.14% | 768 | 4.90% |
| 1916 | 11,406 | 65.42% | 5,220 | 29.94% | 808 | 4.63% |
| 1912 | 1,859 | 20.29% | 2,219 | 24.22% | 5,085 | 55.49% |
| 1908 | 6,387 | 64.53% | 2,499 | 25.25% | 1,011 | 10.22% |
| 1904 | 7,331 | 74.52% | 1,390 | 14.13% | 1,117 | 11.35% |
| 1900 | 6,892 | 68.54% | 2,809 | 27.94% | 354 | 3.52% |
| 1896 | 6,177 | 66.03% | 2,971 | 31.76% | 207 | 2.21% |
| 1892 | 4,265 | 55.82% | 2,670 | 34.95% | 705 | 9.23% |
Places adjacent to Henry County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHenry County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
41°21′11″N90°07′53″W / 41.35306°N 90.13139°W /41.35306; -90.13139
