Crawford County, Illinois


Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,679. Its county seat is Robinson.
WWW crawfordcountycentral.com

History

Crawford County was formed in the Illinois Territory on December 31, 1816, out of Edwards County. At the time of its formation, it encompassed about one third of the territory, but it was reduced to its present borders by 1831 as it spawned new counties. It was named in honor of William H. Crawford, from Georgia, who was serving as Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury at the time. Crawford County was home to several battles between the settlers and Indians, and also the location of the only woman ever hanged in Illinois.
In 1818, the town of Palestine was designated as the county seat. After elections in 1843, a new site was chosen, which would become the town of Robinson.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Some of the county's eastern border is defined by the Wabash River.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Robinson have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Adjacent counties

Transit

Major highways

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,679. The median age was 43.1 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 109.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.
32.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,471 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 8,471 housing units, of which 11.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.9% were owner-occupied and 20.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.5%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 19,817 people, 7,763 households, and 5,154 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 8,661 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 4.7% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.4% were American, 12.4% were Irish, and 9.9% were English.
Of the 7,763 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,434 and the median income for a family was $51,218. Males had a median income of $40,050 versus $30,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,545. About 11.1% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Townships

Crawford County is divided into ten townships:

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Although Crawford County was solidly Democratic before the Populist-backed candidacy of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, it has since become strongly Republican. The last Democrat to gain a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide, although Bill Clinton won a plurality in 1992. Like all the rural Upland South, Crawford County has shown dramatic swings against the Democratic Party in recent elections, with Hillary Clinton’s 22.8 percent in 2016 the worst performance ever by a Democrat.