Clay County, Illinois

Clay County, Illinois

Map of Illinois highlighting Clay County
Location in the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1824
Named for Henry Clay
Seat Louisville
Largest city Flora
Area
 • Total 470 sq mi (1,217 km2)
 • Land 468 sq mi (1,212 km2)
 • Water 1.3 sq mi (3 km2), 0.3%
Population
 • (2010) 13,815
 • Density 29/sq mi (11/km²)
Congressional district 15th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,815.[1] Its county seat is Louisville.[2]

In 1950, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in Clay County.[3]

History

Clay County was formed in 1824 out of portions of Wayne, Crawford, and Fayette counties. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay,[4] famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Clay was an unsuccessful candidate for President in the year the County was named.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 468 square miles (1,210 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Climate and weather

Louisville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.7
 
 
38
21
 
 
2.5
 
 
44
25
 
 
4
 
 
55
34
 
 
4.1
 
 
67
43
 
 
4.3
 
 
76
53
 
 
4.3
 
 
85
62
 
 
3.9
 
 
89
65
 
 
3.3
 
 
87
63
 
 
3.2
 
 
80
56
 
 
3
 
 
69
45
 
 
4.1
 
 
55
35
 
 
3.4
 
 
43
25
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Louisville have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1904 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.49 inches (63 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.[6]

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Clay County
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1830755—
18403,228327.5%
18504,28932.9%
18609,336117.7%
187015,87570.0%
188016,1922.0%
189016,7723.6%
190019,55316.6%
191018,661−4.6%
192017,684−5.2%
193016,155−8.6%
194018,94717.3%
195017,445−7.9%
196015,815−9.3%
197014,735−6.8%
198015,2833.7%
199014,460−5.4%
200014,5600.7%
201013,815−5.1%
Est. 201613,300[7]−3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,815 people, 5,697 households, and 3,790 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 29.5 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 6,404 housing units at an average density of 13.7 per square mile (5.3/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 21.7% were German, 14.6% were American, 12.6% were Irish, and 8.6% were English.[13]

Of the 5,697 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 42.2 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $38,016 and the median income for a family was $48,659. Males had a median income of $38,191 versus $27,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,802. About 11.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Education

Communities

Cities

Villages

Townships

Clay County is divided into these twelve townships:

Politics

Presidential Elections Results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 79.1% 5,021 16.1% 1,020 4.9% 309
2012 70.9% 4,190 26.8% 1,584 2.3% 134
2008 60.7% 3,926 37.5% 2,425 1.8% 115
2004 67.4% 4,416 32.1% 2,101 0.6% 37
2000 61.8% 3,789 36.1% 2,212 2.2% 134
1996 43.4% 2,703 44.2% 2,750 12.4% 775
1992 37.2% 2,471 44.5% 2,962 18.3% 1,219
1988 55.7% 3,494 44.0% 2,761 0.4% 24
1984 64.2% 4,562 35.5% 2,524 0.3% 18
1980 61.2% 4,447 35.6% 2,587 3.2% 232
1976 49.9% 3,860 49.6% 3,837 0.4% 32
1972 64.9% 5,283 35.0% 2,844 0.1% 11
1968 55.5% 4,429 36.0% 2,878 8.5% 679
1964 44.6% 3,665 55.4% 4,551
1960 60.1% 5,134 39.8% 3,394 0.1% 10
1956 58.7% 5,079 41.1% 3,553 0.2% 16
1952 60.4% 5,254 39.4% 3,432 0.2% 15
1948 53.2% 3,782 44.5% 3,160 2.3% 166
1944 55.3% 4,484 43.5% 3,531 1.2% 95
1940 50.7% 5,185 48.3% 4,934 1.0% 103
1936 48.3% 4,528 50.6% 4,752 1.1% 104
1932 41.8% 3,373 56.6% 4,565 1.6% 126
1928 65.2% 4,522 34.8% 2,418 0.0% 0
1924 49.6% 3,432 43.2% 2,987 7.2% 500
1920 59.9% 3,683 38.4% 2,358 1.8% 108
1916 50.4% 3,879 46.5% 3,574 3.1% 239
1912 37.4% 1,622 44.4% 1,926 18.3% 793
1908 49.5% 2,250 47.4% 2,152 3.1% 141
1904 53.2% 2,408 42.7% 1,935 4.1% 184
1900 49.5% 2,356 48.2% 2,295 2.4% 113
1896 47.9% 2,155 50.5% 2,272 1.6% 73
1892 45.6% 1,774 41.3% 1,604 13.1% 509

As part of Upper Southern-leaning Southern Illinois, Clay County is powerfully Republican. No Democratic Presidential nominee has won a majority in Clay County since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, and typically for the region recent Presidential elections have seen dramatic declines in Democratic support due to disagreement with liberal positions on social issues.[16]

See also

Coordinates: 38°46′N 88°29′W / 38.76°N 88.49°W / 38.76; -88.49

References

Specific
  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Mean Center of Population for the United States: 1790 to 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 83.
  5. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  6. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Louisville, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  13. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  14. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  15. ↑ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS
  16. ↑ Cohn, Nate; ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’, New York Times, April 24, 2014
General
Adjacent places of Clay County, Illinois
 Fayette County Effingham County Jasper County
Marion County Richland County
   Clay County, Illinois  
Wayne County
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