Wayne County, Illinois

38°26′N 88°25′W / 38.43°N 88.42°W / 38.43; -88.42Country United StatesState IllinoisFounded1819Named forAnthony WayneSeatFairfieldLargest cityFairfieldArea • Total715 sq mi (1,850 km²) • Land714 sq mi (1,850 km²) • Water1.7 sq mi (4 km²)  0.2%Population • Total16,179 • Density23/sq mi (8.7/km²)Time zoneUTC−6 (Central) • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)Congressional district12thWebsitewww.fairfield-il.com/county/

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 16,179.^[1] Its county seat is Fairfield.^[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

History

Wayne County was formed in 1819 out of Edwards County. It is named after Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne, an officer in the Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War.

• 
  Wayne County between its 1819 creation and 1821
• 
  Wayne County between 1821 and 1824
• 
  Wayne County in 1824, reduced to its current size

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 square miles (1,850 km²), of which 714 square miles (1,850 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[3]

Climate and weather

Fairfield, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8     37 20     2.7     43 24     4.6     54 33     4.8     66 43     4.7     76 52     4.2     85 61     3.8     88 65     3.4     87 63     2.9     80 55     3.3     68 44     4.3     53 34     3.5     42 24 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     71     3 −7     69     6 −4     117     12 1     122     19 6     120     24 11     107     29 16     97     31 18     85     31 17     74     27 13     84     20 7     110     12 1     88     6 −4 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Fairfield have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 4.80 inches (122 mm) in April.^[4]

Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

• Interstate 64
• U.S. Highway 45
• Illinois Route 15
• Illinois Route 242

Adjacent counties

• Clay County (north)
• Richland County (northeast)
• Edwards County (east)
• White County (southeast)
• Hamilton County (south)
• Jefferson County (southwest)
• Marion County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	1,114		—
1830	2,553		129.2%
1840	5,133		101.1%
1850	6,825		33.0%
1860	12,223		79.1%
1870	19,758		61.6%
1880	21,291		7.8%
1890	23,806		11.8%
1900	27,626		16.0%
1910	25,697		−7.0%
1920	22,772		−11.4%
1930	19,130		−16.0%
1940	22,092		15.5%
1950	20,933		−5.2%
1960	19,008		−9.2%
1970	17,004		−10.5%
1980	18,059		6.2%
1990	17,241		−4.5%
2000	17,151		−0.5%
2010	16,760		−2.3%
2020	16,179		−3.5%
2023 (est.)	15,761	[5]	−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,760 people, 7,102 households, and 4,853 families living in the county.^[11] The population density was 23.5 inhabitants per square mile (9.1/km²). There were 7,975 housing units at an average density of 11.2 per square mile (4.3/km²).^[3] The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.^[11] In terms of ancestry, 17.0% were German, 14.1% were English, 12.7% were American, and 9.8% were Irish.^[12]

Of the 7,102 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.9 years.^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,207 and the median income for a family was $47,879. Males had a median income of $34,800 versus $27,192 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,493. About 9.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.^[13]

Communities

City

• Fairfield

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Wayne County is divided into these 20 townships:

Program 1033 Acquisitions

According to Department of Defense data, Wayne County has received six 5.56MM rifles and three "Utility Trucks" with a total acquisition cost of $120,705.^[14]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Wayne County, Illinois^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,176	84.43%	1,187	13.97%	136	1.60%
2016	6,967	83.93%	1,048	12.62%	286	3.45%
2012	5,988	77.80%	1,514	19.67%	195	2.53%
2008	5,390	66.78%	2,547	31.56%	134	1.66%
2004	6,102	73.63%	2,139	25.81%	46	0.56%
2000	5,347	69.50%	2,209	28.71%	137	1.78%
1996	4,029	49.50%	3,054	37.52%	1,057	12.99%
1992	3,809	42.93%	3,332	37.56%	1,731	19.51%
1988	5,481	63.29%	3,135	36.20%	44	0.51%
1984	6,298	70.36%	2,621	29.28%	32	0.36%
1980	6,013	62.92%	3,258	34.09%	286	2.99%
1976	5,211	54.39%	4,303	44.91%	67	0.70%
1972	6,400	69.75%	2,763	30.11%	12	0.13%
1968	5,532	59.59%	2,993	32.24%	759	8.18%
1964	4,745	47.72%	5,198	52.28%	0	0.00%
1960	6,652	62.67%	3,954	37.25%	9	0.08%
1956	6,286	61.37%	3,942	38.49%	14	0.14%
1952	6,495	62.34%	3,911	37.54%	12	0.12%
1948	4,984	54.69%	4,070	44.66%	60	0.66%
1944	5,683	58.21%	4,019	41.17%	61	0.62%
1940	6,556	53.77%	5,569	45.68%	67	0.55%
1936	5,528	48.79%	5,752	50.77%	50	0.44%
1932	4,097	42.43%	5,488	56.84%	71	0.74%
1928	5,189	62.04%	3,108	37.16%	67	0.80%
1924	4,937	52.70%	4,247	45.34%	184	1.96%
1920	4,908	60.50%	3,137	38.67%	68	0.84%
1916	5,383	50.99%	4,934	46.74%	239	2.26%
1912	1,418	25.20%	2,378	42.26%	1,831	32.54%
1908	2,946	49.60%	2,791	46.99%	203	3.42%
1904	3,078	52.63%	2,416	41.31%	354	6.05%
1900	3,117	48.97%	3,062	48.11%	186	2.92%
1896	2,906	47.80%	3,102	51.03%	71	1.17%
1892	2,350	43.75%	2,372	44.16%	649	12.08%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County

References

38°26′N 88°25′W / 38.43°N 88.42°W / 38.43; -88.42