Schuyler County, Illinois

History

Schuyler County was formed in 1825 out of Pike and Fulton counties. It is named in honor of Philip Schuyler, member of the Continental Congress and Senator from New York.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 441 square miles (1,140 km²), of which 437 square miles (1,130 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rushville have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.55 inches (39 mm) in January to 5.14 inches (131 mm) in May.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,544 people, 3,040 households, and 2,014 families residing in the county. The population density was 17.3 inhabitants per square mile (6.7/km²). There were 3,459 housing units at an average density of 7.9 per square mile (3.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 3.2% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.8% were American, 20.2% were German, 13.1% were English, and 12.0% were Irish.

Of the 3,040 households, 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 43.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,686 and the median income for a family was $51,654. Males had a median income of $40,998 versus $28,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,649. About 8.6% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Schuyler County is located in Illinois's 18th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican Davin LaHood. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 93rd district and is currently represented by Republican Norine Hammond. The county is located in the 47th district of the Illinois Senate, and is currently represented by Democrat John Sullivan, but will be represented by Republican Jil Tracy beginning in January 2017.

In presidential elections, Schuyler County usually favors Republican candidates, having voted for Democratic presidential candidates in only four elections during the period of 1944-2016. Since 1944, the Democratic candidate has won a majority of the vote in Schuyler County only once (in 1964).

City

Villages

Townships

Schuyler County is divided into these townships: