Putnam County is the least extensive county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 5,637. The county seat is Hennepin. The county was formed in 1825 out of Fulton County and named after Israel Putnam, who was a general in the American Revolution. Putnam County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.0%) is water.
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hennepin 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 June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in August.
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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,637. The median age was 47.0 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.8% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.2% of the population.
Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,426 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.8% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% 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)
|6,039
|5,569
|5,817
|5,654
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,073
|99.24%
|97.19%
|95.58%
|94.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |89.99%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|6
|9
|37
|31
|style='background: #ffffe6; |26
|0.10%
|0.16%
|0.61%
|0.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|5
|6
|14
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.08%
|0.10%
|0.23%
|0.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.12%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|2
|7
|16
|13
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18
|0.03%
|0.12%
|0.26%
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.32%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|x
|x
|0.00%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|1
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8
|0.02%
|0.02%
|0.00%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|31
|49
|style='background: #ffffe6; |153
|x
|x
|0.51%
|0.82%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.71%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|32
|138
|171
|252
|style='background: #ffffe6; |348
|0.53%
|2.41%
|2.81%
|4.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.17%
|-
|Total
|6,085
|5,730
|6,086
|6,006
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,637
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 6,006 people, 2,509 households, and 1,734 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,074 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population.
Of the 2,509 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.2 years.
Communities
Villages
- Granville
- Hennepin
- Magnolia
- Mark
- McNabb
- Standard
Unincorporated communities
- Florid
- Moronts
- Mount Palatine (partially in LaSalle)
- Putnam
- Walnut Grove
Townships
Putnam County is divided into four townships:
- Granville
- Hennepin
- Magnolia
- Senachwine
Politics
Prior to 1988, Putnam County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections, backing the Republican candidate in all but three elections from 1892 to 1984. From 1988 to 2012, the county consistently backed Democratic Party presidential candidates, but none fared better than Illinois resident Barack Obama's 56.9% in 2008. However, he failed to win a majority of the county's votes four years later despite winning it overall in his 2012 reelection bid. This foreshadowed what was to come in the 2016 election, as the county swung 21.8 points Republican to back Donald Trump over Illinois-born Hillary Clinton by a margin of 19.9%.
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Education
K-12 school districts which cover portions of the county include Henry-Senachwine Consolidated Unit School District 5 and Putnam County Community Unit School District 535. Additionally, two small portions are in the Princeton Elementary School District 115 and the Princeton High School District 500.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Putnam County
- Putnam County, New York
References
External links
- Putnam Information