Union County, Illinois


Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 17,244. Its county seat is Jonesboro. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
WWW unioncountyil.gov𝕏 unioncountyil

History

Union County was formed out of Johnson County, nearly a year before the Illinois Territory gained statehood. It was named for a joint revival meeting of the Baptists and Dunkards, called a "union meeting". The county seal depicts the leaders of these two groups shaking hands.

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 Jonesboro have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1918 and a record high of was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in September to in May.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 17,244. The median age was 44.9 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 90.0% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.
35.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,983 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.7% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,841 housing units, of which 10.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.7% were owner-occupied and 25.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 17,808 people, 7,167 households, and 4,837 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 7,924 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.0% were German, 12.6% were Irish, 9.4% were English, and 8.1% were American.
Of the 7,167 households, 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,760 and the median income for a family was $48,465. Males had a median income of $36,831 versus $31,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,512. About 12.7% of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Like much of Southern Illinois, Union County has shifted toward the Republican Party over the past couple decades, with the Republican candidate for president winning the county since 2000.

Education

School districts include:
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary: