Menard County, Illinois

Menard County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 12,297.[1] Its county seat is Petersburg. Menard County is part of the Springfield, Illinois, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Menard County
County
Menard County Courthouse, Petersburg, Illinois
Menard County Courthouse, Petersburg, Illinois
Map of Illinois highlighting Menard County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°02′N 89°48′W
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1839
Named forPierre Menard
SeatPetersburg
Largest cityPetersburg
Area
 • Total315 sq mi (820 km2)
 • Land314 sq mi (810 km2)
 • Water1.0 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total12,297
 • Density39/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district15th
Websitewww.menardcountyil.com

History

Menard County was formed in 1839 out of Sangamon County. The County was named for Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois.[2]

  • Menard County at the time of its creation in 1839
    Menard County at the time of its creation in 1839
  • Menard County in 1841, reduced to its present borders
    Menard County in 1841, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 315 square miles (820 km2), of which 314 square miles (810 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.3%) is water.[3]

Climate and weather
Petersburg, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
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F
M
A
M
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A
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1.6
 
 
33
17
 
 
1.8
 
 
39
22
 
 
3.2
 
 
51
32
 
 
3.4
 
 
63
42
 
 
4.1
 
 
74
53
 
 
3.8
 
 
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3.5
 
 
87
66
 
 
3.4
 
 
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2.8
 
 
79
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2.6
 
 
67
44
 
 
2.9
 
 
51
34
 
 
2.5
 
 
38
23
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source:The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion
J
F
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41
 
 
1
−8
 
 
46
 
 
4
−6
 
 
80
 
 
11
0
 
 
85
 
 
17
6
 
 
103
 
 
23
12
 
 
96
 
 
28
17
 
 
90
 
 
31
19
 
 
87
 
 
29
18
 
 
72
 
 
26
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67
 
 
19
7
 
 
73
 
 
11
1
 
 
65
 
 
3
−5
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Petersburg have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.62 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.06 inches (103 mm) in May.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18404,431—
18506,34943.3%
18609,58451.0%
187011,73522.4%
188013,02411.0%
189013,1200.7%
190014,3369.3%
191012,796−10.7%
192011,694−8.6%
193010,575−9.6%
194010,6630.8%
19509,639−9.6%
19609,248−4.1%
19709,6854.7%
198011,70020.8%
199011,164−4.6%
200012,48611.8%
201012,7051.8%
202012,297−3.2%
US Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010[9]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,705 people, 5,140 households, and 3,683 families living in the county.[10] The population density was 40.4 inhabitants per square mile (15.6/km2). There were 5,654 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (6.9/km2).[3] The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.[10] In terms of ancestry, 32.5% were German, 20.8% were American, 15.6% were Irish, and 14.3% were English.[11]

Of the 5,140 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 42.6 years.[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $56,230 and the median income for a family was $65,882. Males had a median income of $42,408 versus $36,735 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,281. About 6.1% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[12]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Politics and county government

Illinois counties have the option of using or rejecting the township form of providing local services.[13] In Illinois, only 16 of the state's 102 counties have opted out of the township system; Menard County is one of the sixteen.

In the years before World War I, Menard was a German Catholic and thus Democratic county, opposed to the pietism of Yankee Protestant Northern Illinois. Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 was the only Republican to carry the county in this time span.

However, resistance against Woodrow Wilson’s participatory attitude during World War I allowed Charles Evans Hughes to carry Menard County in 1916 by a mere four votes (Hughes lost the national election). Since then, as German hostility to Wilson hardened, Menard has become a strongly Republican county. The only Democrats who have carried Menard County since 1916 have been Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Excluding the landslide losses of Hoover, Landon and Goldwater, George H. W. Bush in 1992 is the solitary Republican candidate since 1920 to fail to win a majority in Menard County. Illinois-bred Barack Obama is the only Democrat since 1980 to reach forty percent of Menard County’s vote, but over the last two elections a strong anti-Democratic swing – common to all of rural downstate Illinois – has taken place.

See also

References
  1. "Menard County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 205.
  3. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. "Monthly Averages for Petersburg IL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  5. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  9. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  10. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  11. "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. 60 ILCS 1/Art. 5
United States presidential election results for Menard County, Illinois[1]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 4,764 68.51% 2,022 29.08% 168 2.42%
2016 4,231 64.94% 1,817 27.89% 467 7.17%
2012 3,948 64.18% 2,100 34.14% 103 1.67%
2008 3,672 56.69% 2,706 41.78% 99 1.53%
2004 4,408 67.05% 2,137 32.51% 29 0.44%
2000 3,862 62.27% 2,164 34.89% 176 2.84%
1996 3,106 52.93% 2,204 37.56% 558 9.51%
1992 2,834 44.99% 2,264 35.94% 1,201 19.07%
1988 3,560 62.40% 2,103 36.86% 42 0.74%
1984 3,925 68.07% 1,826 31.67% 15 0.26%
1980 3,622 65.45% 1,589 28.71% 323 5.84%
1976 3,137 57.25% 2,301 42.00% 41 0.75%
1972 3,657 69.49% 1,587 30.15% 19 0.36%
1968 2,980 59.66% 1,640 32.83% 375 7.51%
1964 2,322 48.24% 2,491 51.76% 0 0.00%
1960 3,120 60.08% 2,068 39.82% 5 0.10%
1956 3,188 63.44% 1,833 36.48% 4 0.08%
1952 3,307 62.92% 1,946 37.02% 3 0.06%
1948 2,899 58.35% 2,043 41.12% 26 0.52%
1944 3,013 61.17% 1,888 38.33% 25 0.51%
1940 3,531 54.68% 2,894 44.81% 33 0.51%
1936 3,067 48.86% 3,152 50.22% 58 0.92%
1932 2,327 39.96% 3,453 59.30% 43 0.74%
1928 3,243 64.54% 1,742 34.67% 40 0.80%
1924 2,931 56.18% 1,954 37.45% 332 6.36%
1920 2,882 59.19% 1,864 38.28% 123 2.53%
1916 2,693 48.45% 2,689 48.38% 176 3.17%
1912 620 19.53% 1,530 48.19% 1,025 32.28%
1908 1,600 45.56% 1,748 49.77% 164 4.67%
1904 1,705 49.46% 1,506 43.69% 236 6.85%
1900 1,632 43.25% 2,078 55.08% 63 1.67%
1896 1,642 44.28% 2,018 54.42% 48 1.29%
1892 1,278 39.03% 1,748 53.39% 248 7.57%

40.03°N 89.80°W / 40.03; -89.80

  1. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
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