Adams County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 65,737. Its county seat is Quincy. Adams County is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Adams County was formed in 1825 out of Pike County. Its name is in honor of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams.
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File:Adams County Illinois 1825.png|When it was created, Hancock County was temporarily attached to Adams until it could organize a county government.
File:Adams County Illinois 1829.png|Adams County reduced to its current borders in 1829.
</gallery>
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Hancock County - north
- Brown County - east
- Schuyler County - east
- Pike County - south
- Marion County, Missouri - west
- Lewis County, Missouri - west
Public transit
- Quincy Transit Lines
- Quincy station
- Burlington Trailways
- List of intercity bus stops in Illinois
Major highways
National protected area
- Great River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Quincy have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of was recorded in July 2005. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010–2013
The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.
66.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 33.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 27,313 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.3% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|69,274
|63,729
|64,611
|62,414
|style='background: #ffffe6; |58,389
|96.72%
|96.43%
|94.63%
|93.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |88.82%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|1,697
|1,684
|2,077
|2,288
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,464
|2.37%
|2.55%
|3.04%
|3.41%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.75%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|74
|97
|102
|100
|style='background: #ffffe6; |92
|0.10%
|0.15%
|0.15%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|160
|247
|269
|430
|style='background: #ffffe6; |500
|0.22%
|0.37%
|0.39%
|0.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.76%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|8
|12
|style='background: #ffffe6; |33
|x
|x
|0.01%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|114
|68
|45
|75
|style='background: #ffffe6; |223
|0.16%
|0.10%
|0.07%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|598
|1,008
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,749
|x
|x
|0.88%
|1.50%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.18%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|303
|265
|567
|776
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,287
|0.42%
|0.40%
|0.83%
|1.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.96%
|-
|Total
|71,622
|66,090
|68,277
|67,103
|style='background: #ffffe6; |65,737
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2006–2010 American Community Survey
The median income for a household in the county was $55,052 and the median income for a family was $72,091. Males had a median income of $41,852 versus $29,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,035. About 9.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
thumb|300px|Adams County, Illinois.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Community<br />
! Community<br />type
! Population
! Total<br />Area
! Water<br />Area
! Land<br />Area
! Pop.<br />Density
|-
|Camp Point || village || 1,121 || 1.27 || 0.00 || 1.27 || 885.47 ||
|-
|Clayton || village || 639 || 0.89 || 0.01 || 0.88 || 722.85 ||
|-
|Coatsburg || village || 150 || 0.13 || 0.00 || 0.13 || 1,136.36 ||
|-
|Columbus || village || 114 || 0.22 || 0.00 || 0.22 || 520.55 ||
|-
|Golden || village || 648 || 0.64 || 0.00 || 0.64 || 1,009.35 ||
|-
|La Prairie || village || 42 || 0.19 || 0.00 || 0.19 || 217.62 ||
|-
|Liberty || village || 543 || 0.39 || 0.00 || 0.39 || 1,388.75 ||
|-
|Lima || village || 148 || 0.14 || 0.00 || 0.14 || 1,096.30 ||
|-
|Loraine || village || 300 || 0.84 || 0.00 || 0.84 || 355.45 ||
|-
|Mendon || village || 872 || 0.86 || 0.00 || 0.86 || 1,017.50 ||
|-
|Payson || village || 1,025 || 1.17 || 0.00 || 1.17 || 876.07 ||
|-
|Plainville || village || 271 || 0.23 || 0.00 || 0.23 || 1,153.19 ||
|-
|Quincy (seat) || city || 39,463 || 15.81 || 0.04 || 15.77 || 2,503.20 ||
|-
|Ursa || village || 609 || 0.69 || 0.00 || 0.69 || 882.61 ||
|-
|Adams County || county || 65,737 || 871 || 16 || 855 || 75 ||
|}
Census-designated places
- Adams
- Beverly
- Bloomfield
- Burton
- Fall Creek
- Fowler
- Kingston
- Marblehead
- Marcelline
- Meyer
- Paloma
- Richfield
Unincorporated communities
- Bigneck
- Chatton
- Cliola
- Ewbanks
- Kellerville
- North Quincy
- Spring Valley
- Woodville
Townships
Adams County is divided into twenty-three townships:
- Beverly
- Burton
- Camp Point
- Clayton
- Columbus
- Concord
- Ellington
- Fall Creek
- Gilmer
- Honey Creek
- Houston
- Keene
- Liberty
- Lima
- McKee
- Melrose
- Mendon
- Northeast
- Payson
- Quincy
- Richfield
- Riverside
- Ursa
Politics
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Adams County, positioned in a primarily rural section of Illinois, is somewhat more conservative than the state's northeastern corner. President Donald J. Trump set the record for highest percentage of the vote ever received in 2024, vacuuming in 73%. Trump also previously set the record in 2020, and in 2016. Quincy, the county seat, is home to a high number of socially conservative Catholics and likewise is the home to the campus of Quincy University, a private Catholic liberal arts college, and the Western Catholic Union.
The county is part of the historic belt of German settlement extending into the Missouri Rhineland. Since it was antagonistic to the Yankee northeast of Illinois, it voted solidly Democratic until 1892. After being a swing county in the first half of the twentieth century, Adams County has been a Republican stronghold. It has gone Republican in all but four presidential elections since 1920, all but one of which was a 400-vote Democratic landslide. The county last supported a Democrat in 1964, when it voted for Lyndon Johnson. The county regularly supports the Republicans at the state level as well; it has not supported a Democrat for Governor of Illinois since Adlai Stevenson II in 1948. Additionally, five of the six countywide elected officials in Adams County are Republicans, with a Democrat holding the position of Circuit Clerk. Notably, while it voted for Barack Obama in his 2004 Senate campaign, he lost it by wide margins in both of his presidential bids.
The county is part of Illinois's 15th congressional district, currently represented by Republican Mary Miller. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 94th district, represented by Republican Randy Frese. The county is located in the 47th district of the Illinois Senate, represented by Republican Jil Tracy.
Education
Unified school districts
School districts covering sections of the county include:
- Central Community Unit School District 3<!--Camp Point Community Unit School District 3-->
- Griggsville-Perry Community Unit School District 4
- Liberty Community Unit School District 2
- Mendon Community Unit School District 4<!--Community Unit School District 4-->
- Payson Community Unit School District 1
- Quincy Public School District 172
- Southeastern Community Unit School District 337
- Western Community Unit School District 12
Private schools
- Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
- Chaddock School
- Quincy Christian School
- Quincy Notre Dame High School
- St. Dominic Catholic School
- St. Francis Solanus Catholic School
- St. James Lutheran School
- St. Peter Catholic School
Colleges and universities
- Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- John Wood Community College
- Quincy University
Attractions
- Adams County Fair
- Bayview Bridge
- Burton Cave
- Fall Creek Scenic Park
- Golden Windmill
- John Wood Mansion
- Saukenauk Scout Reservation
- Siloam Springs State Park
- Spirit Knob Winery
- Villa Katharine
- Wavering Park
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Illinois
References
External links
- Adams County website
- Adams County GIS Website
- Great River Genealogical Society
- United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
- United States National Atlas