Piatt County, Illinois


Piatt County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 16,673. Its county seat is Monticello.
Piatt County is part of the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area.

History

The first settler was George Haworth, a Quaker, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter and William Cordell.
Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and DeWitt counties. Two local residents, James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county. It was named after James A. Piatt after winning a coin flip against Jesse Warner.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858, one of which is ornamented by a marker just south of Monticello.
The first courthouse was built in 1843. It was replaced by the current courthouse in 1904.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Monticello have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in August.

Major highways

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,673, the median age was 43.7 years, 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
35.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,818 households in the county, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.9% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,360 housing units, of which 7.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.1% were owner-occupied and 18.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,729 people, 6,782 households, and 4,823 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 7,269 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 21.9% were American, 15.2% were English, and 13.4% were Irish.
Of the 6,782 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,752 and the median income for a family was $65,850. Males had a median income of $50,425 versus $32,304 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,492. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Image:Map of Piatt County Illinois.png|thumb|180px|Map of Piatt County, Illinois

Census-designated places