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Scott County, Illinois facts for kids

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Scott County
Scott County Courthouse, Winchester
Map of Illinois highlighting Scott 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 1839
Named for Scott County, Kentucky
Seat Winchester
Largest city Winchester
Area
 • Total 253 sq mi (660 km2)
 • Land 251 sq mi (650 km2)
 • Water 1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.7%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 5,355
 • Estimate 
(2018)
4,926
 • Density 21.17/sq mi (8.172/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 18th

Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,355, making it the fourth-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Winchester.

Scott County is part of the Jacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Springfield-Jacksonville-Lincoln, IL Combined Statistical Area.

History

Scott County was formed in 1839 out of Morgan County. It was named for a local pioneer family named Scott.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (660 km2), of which 251 square miles (650 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.7%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Winchester, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.6
 
34
16
 
 
1.8
 
40
20
 
 
3.3
 
52
30
 
 
3.6
 
64
42
 
 
4.3
 
74
52
 
 
3.6
 
83
61
 
 
3.4
 
87
65
 
 
2.8
 
85
63
 
 
3
 
78
54
 
 
2.6
 
67
43
 
 
3.3
 
52
32
 
 
2.6
 
39
21
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Winchester have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.60 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in May.

Major highways

  • I-72.svg Interstate 72
  • US 36.svg U.S. Route 36
  • US 67.svg U.S. Route 67
  • Illinois 106.svg Illinois Route 106
  • Illinois 100.svg Illinois Route 100

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 6,215
1850 7,914 27.3%
1860 9,069 14.6%
1870 10,530 16.1%
1880 10,741 2.0%
1890 10,304 −4.1%
1900 10,455 1.5%
1910 10,067 −3.7%
1920 9,489 −5.7%
1930 8,539 −10.0%
1940 8,176 −4.3%
1950 7,245 −11.4%
1960 6,377 −12.0%
1970 6,096 −4.4%
1980 6,142 0.8%
1990 5,644 −8.1%
2000 5,537 −1.9%
2010 5,355 −3.3%
2018 (est.) 4,926 −8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2017

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,355 people, 2,214 households, and 1,516 families living in the county. The population density was 21.3 inhabitants per square mile (8.2/km2). There were 2,459 housing units at an average density of 9.8 per square mile (3.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.3% were German, 24.3% were American, 18.0% were English, and 16.2% were Irish.

Of the 2,214 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.5% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 42.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,462 and the median income for a family was $64,412. Males had a median income of $40,781 versus $32,011 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,530. About 6.5% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Town

Villages

Unincorporated community

See also

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

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