Richland County, Illinois

Richland County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 24, 1841
Seat	Olney
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	361.90 sq mi (937 km²) 359.99 sq mi (932 km²) 1.91 sq mi (5 km²), 0.53%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	16,233 44/sq mi (17/km²)

Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,233, which is an increase of 0.5% from 16,149 in 2000. Its county seat is Olney.

History

Richland County was established on February 24, 1824, out of portions of Clay and Lawrence Counties.

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  Richland County at the time of its creation in 1841

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 361.90 square miles (937.3 km²), of which 359.99 square miles (932.4 km²) (or 99.47%) is land and 1.91 square miles (4.9 km²) (or 0.53%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 50
• Illinois Route 130
• Illinois Route 250

Adjacent counties

• Jasper County (north)
• Crawford County (northeast)
• Lawrence County (east)
• Wabash County (southeast)
• Edwards County (south)
• Wayne County (southwest)
• Clay County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	16,391		—
1910	15,970		−2.6%
1920	14,044		−12.1%
1930	14,053		0.1%
1940	17,137		21.9%
1950	16,889		−1.4%
1960	16,299		−3.5%
1970	16,829		3.3%
1980	17,587		4.5%
1990	16,545		−5.9%
2000	16,149		−2.4%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,149 people, 6,660 households, and 4,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 7,468 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.16% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.4% were of German, 27.2% American, 10.7% English and 7.8% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 6,660 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,185, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $28,955 versus $19,693 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,847. About 9.80% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated

• Calhoun
• Claremont
• Noble
• Olney
• Parkersburg

Unincorporated

• Berryville
• Dundas
• Wynoose

Townships

Richland County is divided into these townships:

Bonpas Claremont Decker Denver German

Madison Noble Olney Preston

Climate and weather

Olney, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8   36 19     2.7   42 23     4.4   54 32     4.4   65 42     4.8   75 52     4.1   84 62     4.1   88 66     3.6   86 63     3.1   80 55     3.3   69 44     4.4   54 34     3.7   41 24 Average max. and min. 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     72   2 -7     69   6 -5     110   12 0     111   18 6     121   24 11     103   29 17     105   31 19     90   30 17     78   27 13     85   21 7     112   12 1     93   5 -4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Olney have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1951 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.73 inches (69 mm) in February to 4.76 inches (121 mm) in May.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland County