Washington_County,_Illinois

Washington County, Illinois

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 15,148. Its county seat is Nashville, Illinois.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 square miles (1,461 km²), of which, 563 square miles (1,457 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.

Townships

Ashley, Beaucoup, Bolo, Covington, DuBois, Hoyleton, Irvington, Johannisburg, Lively Grove, Nashville, Oakdale, Okawville, Pilot Knob, Plum Hill, Richview, Venedy

Adjacent counties

Clinton County (north)
Marion County (northeast)
Jefferson County (east)
Perry County (south)
Randolph County (southwest)
St. Clair County (west)

History

Washington County was formed in 1818 out of St. Clair County. It was named for George Washington. Despite its relative proximity to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, MO, the county is not considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, also known as the Metro-East.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,148 people, 5,848 households, and 4,239 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 6,385 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.58% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 0.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 50.8% were of German, 13.6% Polish, 11.8% American and 5.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 5,848 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,932, and the median income for a family was $48,433. Males had a median income of $32,209 versus $22,151 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,108. About 3.70% of families and 6.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.