kids encyclopedia robot

McDonough County, Illinois facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
McDonough County
U.S. county
McDonough County Courthouse, 2006
McDonough County Courthouse, 2006
Flag of McDonough County
Flag
Map of Illinois highlighting McDonough 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 January 25, 1826
Named for Thomas Macdonough
Seat Macomb
Largest city Macomb
Area
 • Total 590 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land 589 sq mi (1,530 km2)
 • Water 0.8 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 27,238
 • Density 46.2/sq mi (17.82/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 15th, 17th

McDonough County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,238. Its county seat is Macomb, which is also the home of Western Illinois University.

McDonough County is part of the Macomb, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

McDonough County is named in honor of Thomas Macdonough who defeated a British squadron in the decisive naval Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812. McDonough County was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812.

  • McDonough County Illinois 1826

    McDonough County at the time of its creation in 1826

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 590 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.

The county has the unusual distinction of forming a perfect square by Mercator map projection. The county seat, Macomb, is in the center of the county, and the courthouse is almost precisely in the center of the county.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Macomb, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.5
 
32
13
 
 
1.7
 
38
18
 
 
2.9
 
50
29
 
 
3.8
 
62
39
 
 
4.6
 
73
50
 
 
4.4
 
83
60
 
 
4.5
 
87
64
 
 
3.5
 
85
62
 
 
4
 
77
54
 
 
2.9
 
66
42
 
 
3.2
 
50
31
 
 
2.3
 
36
19
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
 
 
37
 
0
-11
 
 
43
 
3
-8
 
 
73
 
10
-2
 
 
97
 
17
4
 
 
116
 
23
10
 
 
111
 
28
16
 
 
115
 
31
18
 
 
90
 
29
17
 
 
101
 
25
12
 
 
72
 
19
6
 
 
80
 
10
-1
 
 
58
 
2
-7
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Macomb have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −30 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in August 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.47 inches (37 mm) in January to 4.58 inches (116 mm) in May.

Public transit

  • Go West Transit
  • Macomb Amtrak station

Major highways

  • US 67.svg U.S. Route 67
  • US 136.svg U.S. Route 136
  • Illinois 9.svg Illinois Route 9
  • Illinois 41.svg Illinois Route 41
  • Illinois 61.svg Illinois Route 61
  • Illinois 95.svg Illinois Route 95
  • Illinois 110.svg Illinois Route 110
  • Illinois 336.svg Illinois Route 336

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 5,308 —
1850 7,616 43.5%
1860 20,069 163.5%
1870 26,509 32.1%
1880 27,970 5.5%
1890 27,467 −1.8%
1900 28,412 3.4%
1910 26,887 −5.4%
1920 27,074 0.7%
1930 27,329 0.9%
1940 26,944 −1.4%
1950 28,199 4.7%
1960 28,928 2.6%
1970 36,653 26.7%
1980 37,467 2.2%
1990 35,244 −5.9%
2000 32,913 −6.6%
2010 32,612 −0.9%
2020 27,238 −16.5%
2023 (est.) 26,839 −17.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 32,612 people, 13,057 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county. The population density was 55.3 inhabitants per square mile (21.4/km2). There were 14,419 housing units at an average density of 24.5 per square mile (9.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% white, 5.0% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.7% were American, 13.7% were Irish, 12.7% were English, and 5.1% were Italian.

Of the 13,057 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 48.5% were non-families, and 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 28.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,702 and the median income for a family was $52,390. Males had a median income of $42,297 versus $28,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,344. About 12.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated place

Townships

  • Bethel Township
  • Blandinsville Township
  • Bushnell Township
  • Chalmers Township
  • Colchester Township
  • Eldorado Township
  • Emmet Township
  • Hire Township
  • Industry Township
  • Lamoine Township
  • Macomb Township
  • Macomb City Township
  • Mound Township
  • New Salem Township
  • Prairie City Township
  • Sciota Township
  • Scotland Township
  • Tennessee Township
  • Walnut Grove Township

Education

McDonough County is served by three school districts and two colleges:

  • West Prairie Community Unit School District 103
  • Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170
  • Macomb Community Unit School District 185
  • Spoon River College, Macomb campus
  • Western Illinois University

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de McDonough para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
McDonough County, Illinois Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.