Jasper County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jasper County
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Jasper County Courthouse in Newton
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Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
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 Illinois's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1831 |
| Named for | William Jasper |
| Seat | Newton |
| Largest city | Newton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 498 sq mi (1,290 km2) |
| • Land | 495 sq mi (1,280 km2) |
| • Water | 3.6 sq mi (9 km2) 0.7% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,287 |
| • Density | 18.649/sq mi (7.200/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,287. Its county seat is Newton.
Contents
History
Jasper County was formed in 1831 out of Clay and Crawford Counties. It was named for Sgt. William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina. During the defense of Fort Moultrie in 1776, the staff of the American flag was shot away. Sgt. Jasper attached the flag to a pole and stood on the wall waving the flag at the British until a new staff was erected.
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Jasper County at the time of its creation in 1831
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.7%) is water.
Climate and weather
| Weather chart for Newton, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2.4
34
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3.9
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3.9
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4.4
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3.7
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4.4
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3.4
84
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3.2
78
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2.8
66
43
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4
52
34
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2.9
39
24
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Newton have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.38 inches (60 mm) in January to 4.39 inches (112 mm) in May.
Adjacent counties
- Cumberland County – north
- Clark County – northeast
- Crawford County – east
- Richland County – south
- Clay County – southwest
- Effingham County – west
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 1,472 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,220 | 118.8% | |
| 1860 | 8,364 | 159.8% | |
| 1870 | 11,234 | 34.3% | |
| 1880 | 14,515 | 29.2% | |
| 1890 | 18,188 | 25.3% | |
| 1900 | 20,160 | 10.8% | |
| 1910 | 18,157 | −9.9% | |
| 1920 | 16,064 | −11.5% | |
| 1930 | 12,809 | −20.3% | |
| 1940 | 13,431 | 4.9% | |
| 1950 | 12,266 | −8.7% | |
| 1960 | 11,346 | −7.5% | |
| 1970 | 10,741 | −5.3% | |
| 1980 | 11,318 | 5.4% | |
| 1990 | 10,609 | −6.3% | |
| 2000 | 10,117 | −4.6% | |
| 2010 | 9,698 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 9,287 | −4.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 9,144 | −5.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 |
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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,698 people, 3,940 households, and 2,800 families living in the county. The population density was 19.6 inhabitants per square mile (7.6/km2). There were 4,345 housing units at an average density of 8.8 per square mile (3.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 39.5% were German, 12.5% were American, 11.0% were Irish, and 9.1% were English.
Of the 3,940 households, 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 42.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,546 and the median income for a family was $53,034. Males had a median income of $39,167 versus $24,856 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,467. About 6.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those aged 65 or over.
Education
Jasper County is largely served by Jasper County Community Unit School District 1, which is based in its county seat, Newton. Five of the district's six schools are located in Jasper County. Saint Thomas Catholic School is a private elementary school, also in Newton.
Communities
City
- Newton (seat)
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships
Jasper County is divided into eleven townships:
- Crooked Creek
- Fox
- Grandville
- Grove
- Hunt City
- North Muddy
- Sainte Marie
- Smallwood
- South Muddy
- Wade
- Willow Hill
Notable residents
- Glenn Brummer, baseball catcher for the Major League Baseball St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers; member of the 1982 World Champion Cardinals
- Irene Hunt, author of the classic Across Five Aprils
- Albert Isley, Illinois judge, lawyer, and state senator
- Burl Ives, folk singer, author, and actor
- Ross Wolf, baseball pitcher; plays for the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Championship; formerly played for several Major League Baseball teams
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Jasper (Illinois) para niños
