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.

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.

File:Crawford County Illinois 1816.png|Crawford County when it was created in 1816, extending north to Lake Michigan.

File:Crawford County Illinois 1819.png|Crawford County between 1819 and 1821

File:Crawford County Illinois 1821.png|Crawford between 1821 and 1824

File:Crawford County Illinois 1824.png|Crawford between 1824 and 1831

File:Crawford County Illinois 1831.png|In 1831, the creation of Jasper and Effingham Counties reduced Crawford to its current size.

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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 (0.5%) is water.

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.

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010-2020

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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.

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.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|20,610

|19,235

|18,925

|18,216

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,941

|99.00%

|98.82%

|92.53%

|91.92%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |90.70%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|32

|62

|920

|923

|style='background: #ffffe6; |608

|0.15%

|0.32%

|4.50%

|4.66%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.25%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|27

|34

|51

|42

|style='background: #ffffe6; |36

|0.13%

|0.17%

|0.25%

|0.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%

|Asian alone (NH)

|49

|47

|70

|100

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76

|0.24%

|0.34%

|0.50%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.01%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|23

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29

|0.11%

|0.03%

|0.02%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|128

|160

|style='background: #ffffe6; |540

|0.63%

|0.81%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.89%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|77

|80

|351

|362

|style='background: #ffffe6; |447

|0.37%

|0.41%

|1.72%

|1.83%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.39%

|Total

|20,818

|19,464

|20,452

|19,817

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,679

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

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.

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.

Communities

Cities

Robinson (seat)

Villages

Flat Rock
Hutsonville
Oblong
Palestine
Stoy

Census-designated places

Annapolis
West York

Townships

Crawford County is divided into ten townships:

Honey Creek
Hutsonville
Lamotte
Licking
Martin
Montgomery
Oblong
Prairie
Robinson
Southwest

Unincorporated communities

Bellair
Dogwood
Duncanville
Gordon
Green Brier
Hardinville
Heathsville
Kibbie
Landes
Morea
New Hebron
Oil Center
Oil Grove
Pierceburg
Port Jackson
Porterville
Richwoods
Riddleville
Trimble
Villas

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. President Donald J. Trump won Crawford County by historic landslides in 2016, 2020, and 2024. His percentage of the vote, 75.13%, in 2024, was the highest ever received by any presidential candidate in the history of Crawford County.

Sources

Perrin, William Henry, ed.. History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois Chicago, Illinois. O. L. Baskin & Co. (1883).

References

;Specific

;General

United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
United States National Atlas

External links

Crawford County, Illinois History and Genealogy