Stark County, Illinois
Stark County is a county in Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,400. Its county seat is Toulon. Stark County is part of the Peoria, Illinois, metropolitan area.
History
Stark County was formed in 1839 out of Knox and Putnam counties. It was named for General Colonel John Stark, who served in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.Geography
According to the U.S. 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 Toulon 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 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.Major highways
- Illinois Route 17
- Illinois Route 18
- Illinois Route 40
- Illinois Route 78
- Illinois Route 91
- Illinois Route 93
Adjacent counties
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,400. The median age was 45.5 years, with 21.9% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.1% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 95.0% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,226 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,577 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.9%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 5,994 people, 2,425 households, and 1,673 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 2,674 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.5% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 13.8% were English, 10.8% were American, and 9.8% were Swedish.Of the 2,425 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 43.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,195 and the median income for a family was $62,681. Males had a median income of $44,931 versus $29,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,311. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.