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DeKalb County, Illinois facts for kids

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DeKalb County
U.S. county
DeKalb County Court House, Sycamore, Illinois
DeKalb County Court House, Sycamore, Illinois
Official seal of DeKalb County
Seal
Map of Illinois highlighting DeKalb County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded March 4, 1837
Named for Johann de Kalb
Seat Sycamore
Largest city DeKalb
Area
 • Total 635 sq mi (1,640 km2)
 • Land 631 sq mi (1,630 km2)
 • Water 3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 100,420
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 100,288 Decrease
 • Density 158.14/sq mi (61.06/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 11th, 14th, 16th

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 100,420. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

DeKalb County was formed on March 4, 1837, out of Kane County, Illinois. The county was named for Johann de Kalb, a German (Bavarian) hero of the American Revolutionary War. DeKalb County's area is approximately 632.7 square miles, and it is located 63 miles west of Chicago. There are 19 townships in the county; the county seat is Sycamore.

Between 1834 and 1837, after the Potawatomi people had been pushed out, European Americans formed settlements in DeKalb County along streams and wooded areas due to fertile soil, wild game, and food and water opportunities. Primary growth stemmed from the introduction of the railroad, which brought easier methods of transportation and opportunities for industrial growth. Early industries based in DeKalb County included Sandwich Mfg. Co, Marsh Harvester Co, barbed wire, and Gurler Bros Pure Milk Co.

The county is noted for agriculture. In 1852, the DeKalb Agricultural Society produced the county's first Agricultural Fair, in Sycamore. Eventually farmers, businessmen, bankers and newspapermen organized to become the DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association, which later was split into DeKalb County Farm Bureau and DeKalb Agricultural Association (DEKALB AgResearch, Inc., Monsanto). DeKalb County is credited with being the birthplace of the Farm Bureau movement. DeKalb County is the 2nd largest hog producing county in Illinois and the 66th largest in the nation.

Education has played an important role in the area: Northern Illinois University is located in DeKalb and Kishwaukee College is located in Malta. Except for 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), a major fair has been held each year since 1887 at the Sandwich Fairgrounds in Sandwich.

  • DeKalb County Illinois 1837

    DeKalb County at the time of its creation in 1837

Pronunciation

Unlike similarly spelled locations, such as DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb denizens from Illinois pronounce the county name /dɪˈkælb/ di-KALB, with an L sound, as in German, after its namesake.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 631 square miles (1,630 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Sycamore, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.5
 
27
10
 
 
1.4
 
32
16
 
 
2.5
 
44
26
 
 
3.5
 
58
37
 
 
4.2
 
70
48
 
 
4.5
 
80
58
 
 
4.2
 
84
63
 
 
4.5
 
81
61
 
 
3.5
 
74
51
 
 
2.6
 
62
40
 
 
2.8
 
45
28
 
 
2.1
 
32
17
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
39
 
-3
-12
 
 
36
 
0
-9
 
 
62
 
7
-3
 
 
89
 
14
3
 
 
107
 
21
9
 
 
114
 
27
14
 
 
107
 
29
17
 
 
114
 
27
16
 
 
89
 
23
11
 
 
66
 
17
4
 
 
72
 
7
-2
 
 
54
 
0
-8
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sycamore have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.40 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.49 inches (114 mm) in June.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-88.svg Interstate 88
  • US 30.svg US Route 30
  • US 34.svg US Route 34
  • Illinois 23.svg Illinois Route 23
  • Illinois 38.svg Illinois Route 38
  • Illinois 64.svg Illinois Route 64
  • Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72
  • Illinois 110.svg Illinois Route 110

Transit

  • DeKalb Public Transit

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,697 —
1850 7,540 344.3%
1860 19,086 153.1%
1870 23,265 21.9%
1880 26,768 15.1%
1890 27,066 1.1%
1900 31,756 17.3%
1910 33,457 5.4%
1920 31,339 −6.3%
1930 32,644 4.2%
1940 34,388 5.3%
1950 40,781 18.6%
1960 51,714 26.8%
1970 71,654 38.6%
1980 74,624 4.1%
1990 77,932 4.4%
2000 88,969 14.2%
2010 105,160 18.2%
2020 100,420 −4.5%
2023 (est.) 100,288 −4.6%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013
USA DeKalb County, Illinois age pyramid
2000 census age pyramid for DeKalb County with a marked spike in college-aged individuals due to Northern Illinois University
DeKalb County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 75,772 83,825 71,249 85.17% 79.71% 70.95%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,040 6,579 8,730 4.54% 6.26% 8.69%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 146 127 119 0.16% 0.12% 0.12%
Asian alone (NH) 2,067 2,400 2,280 2.32% 2.28% 2.27%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 40 19 29 0.04% 0.02% 0.03%
Other race alone (NH) 92 114 298 0.10% 0.11% 0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 982 1,449 4,118 1.10% 1.38% 4.10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 5,830 10,647 13,597 6.55% 10.12% 13.54%
Total 88,969 105,160 100,420 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 105,160 people, 38,484 households, and 23,781 families residing in the county. The population density was 166.6 inhabitants per square mile (64.3/km2). There were 41,079 housing units at an average density of 65.1 per square mile (25.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.1% white, 6.4% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.6% were German, 17.5% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 7.0% were Polish, 6.4% were Italian, 6.3% were Swedish, and 4.7% were Norwegian.

Of the 38,484 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 29.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,002 and the median income for a family was $70,713. Males had a median income of $50,192 versus $35,246 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,179. About 7.7% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Afton
  • Clinton
  • Cortland
  • DeKalb
  • Franklin
  • Genoa
  • Kingston
  • Malta
  • Mayfield
  • Milan
  • Paw Paw
  • Pierce
  • Sandwich
  • Shabbona
  • Somonauk
  • South Grove
  • Squaw Grove
  • Sycamore
  • Victor

Education

Tertiary

Northern Illinois University is in the county.

K-12

The following school districts have territory in the county, no matter how slight, even if their schools and/or administrative headquarters are in other counties:

K-12:

  • Belvidere Consolidated Unit School District 100
  • Central Community Unit School District 301
  • Community Unit School District 300
  • DeKalb Community Unit School District 428
  • Earlville Community Unit School District 9
  • Genoa-Kingston Community Unit School District 424
  • Hinckley-Big Rock Community Unit School District 429
  • Hiawatha Community Unit School District 426
  • Indian Creek Community Unit District 425
  • Kaneland Community Unit School District 302
  • Lee Center Community Unit School District 271
  • Leland Community Unit School District 1
  • Sandwich Community Unit School District 430
  • Somonauk Community Unit School District 432
  • Sycamore Community Unit School District 427

Secondary:

  • Rochelle Township High School District 212

Elementary:

  • Creston Community Consolidated School District 161
  • Eswood Community Consolidated District 269
  • Steward Elementary School District 220

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de DeKalb (Illinois) para niños

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