Richland County, Illinois

Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 15,813.<ref name = "QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Olney.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp

History

Richland County was established in 1841 out of portions of East part of Clay and West part of Lawrence counties.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was named for Richland County, Ohio, where many of the early settlers migrated from.<ref name=":0" />Template:Rp

• Richland County at the time of its creation in 1841
  Richland County at the time of its creation in 1841

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp and Template:Convert (0.5%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Olney have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in February 1951 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather"/>

Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

• File:US 50.svg U.S. Route 50
• File:Illinois 130.svg Illinois Route 130
• File:Illinois 250.svg 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

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,233 people, 6,726 households, and 4,438 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> By 2020, the population had decreased to 15,813 people.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp The 2010 population density was Template:Convert, which decreased to Template:Convert in the 2020 census.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp In 2010, there were 7,513 housing units, compared to 7,364 in 2020,<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The 2010 racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white (94.2%, 2020Template:Decrease), 0.7% Asian (0.8%, 2020Template:Increase), 0.5% black or African American (same, 2020), 0.2% American Indian (same, 2020), 0.4% (0.5%, 2020Template:Increase) from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races (3.7%, 2020Template:Increase).<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% (1.7%, 2020Template:Increase) of the population.<ref name=":1" />Template:Rp<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 29.6% were German, 11.7% were American, 11.4% were English, and 9.2% were Irish.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 6,726 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 42.1 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $41,917 and the median income for a family was $53,853. Males had a median income of $41,058 versus $31,296 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,874. About 9.5% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref> Richland is the top ranked most affordable county in Illinois to buy a car and is on average $932 less expensive than other Illinois counties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

City

• Olney (seat)

Villages

• Calhoun
• Claremont
• Noble
• Parkersburg

Unincorporated communities

• Berryville
• Dundas
• Elbow
• Wynoose

Townships

Richland County is divided into nine townships:<ref name=":0" />Template:Rp

• Bonpas
• Claremont
• Decker
• Denver
• German
• Madison
• Noble
• Olney
• Preston

Notable people

• Alexander W. Swanitz (1851–1915), civil engineer who participated in the construction of railroads in various parts of the country
• Dial D. Ryder (1938–2011), gun smith

Government

Elected officials<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Office	Office holder
County Board Chairman	Dennis Graves (R)
County Board Vice Chairman	Morgan Henton (R)
County Board Member - District 1	Brian VanBlaricum (R)
County Board Member - District 2	Dennis Graves (R)
County Board Member - District 3	Alexis McFarland (R)
County Board Member - District 4	Cynthia Given (D)
County Board Member - District 5	Morgan Henton (R)
County Board Member - District 6	Travis Paddock (R)
County Board Member - District 7	Steve Schonert (R)
County Clerk	Amanda Troyer (R)
County Circuit Clerk	Zach Holder (R)
County Treasurer	Mike Hahn (R)
County Assessor	Tim Hahn (R)
Coroner	Steve Patterson (R)
States Attorney	Chelsey Clark (R)
County Sheriff	Andy Hires (R)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland County