Piatt County, Illinois

Piatt County
County
Piatt County Courthouse in Monticello
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°01′N88°35′W / 40.01°N 88.59°W / 40.01; -88.59
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1841
Named for	James A. Piatt
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Monticello
Area
• Total	439 sq mi (1,140 km2)
• Land	439 sq mi (1,140 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.06%
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,673
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	13th, 15th
Website	www.piattcounty.org

Piatt County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 16,673. ^[1] Its county seat is Monticello. ^[2]

Piatt County is part of the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area.

History

The first settler was George Haworth, a Quaker, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter and William Cordell.

Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and DeWitt counties. Two local residents, James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county. It was named after James A. Piatt after winning a coin flip against Jesse Warner.

• 
  Piatt County at the time of its creation in 1841

Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858, one of which is ornamented by a marker just south of Monticello.

The first courthouse was built in 1843. It was replaced by the current courthouse in 1904.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 439 square miles (1,140 km²), of which 439 square miles (1,140 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (0.06%) is water. ^[3]

Climate and weather

Monticello, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6     32 14     1.7     37 19     3     49 30     3.4     62 40     4     73 51     4     83 60     3.8     85 64     4     84 62     2.9     78 54     2.6     66 42     2.9     49 31     2.4     36 21 █ 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     41     0 −10     42     3 −7     75     9 −1     87     17 4     100     23 11     101     28 16     97     29 18     101     29 17     72     26 12     65     19 6     72     9 −1     62     2 −6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Monticello have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.61 inches (41 mm) in January to 3.99 inches (101 mm) in August. ^[4]

Major highways

• Interstate 72
• Interstate 74
• U.S. Route 36
• U.S. Route 150
• Illinois Route 10
• Illinois Route 32
• Illinois Route 48
• Illinois Route 105

Adjacent counties

• McLean County - north
• Champaign County - east
• Douglas County - southeast
• Moultrie County - south
• Macon County - southwest
• De Witt County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,606		—
1860	6,127		281.5%
1870	10,953		78.8%
1880	15,583		42.3%
1890	17,062		9.5%
1900	17,706		3.8%
1910	16,376		−7.5%
1920	15,714		−4.0%
1930	15,588		−0.8%
1940	14,659		−6.0%
1950	13,970		−4.7%
1960	14,960		7.1%
1970	15,509		3.7%
1980	16,581		6.9%
1990	15,548		−6.2%
2000	16,365		5.3%
2010	16,729		2.2%
2020	16,673		−0.3%
2023 (est.)	16,714	[5]	0.2%
US Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2013 [1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,729 people, 6,782 households, and 4,823 families residing in the county. ^[10] The population density was 38.1 inhabitants per square mile (14.7/km²). There were 7,269 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km²). ^[3] The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. ^[10] In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 21.9% were American, 15.2% were English, and 13.4% were Irish. ^[11]

Of the 6,782 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.6 years. ^[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $55,752 and the median income for a family was $65,850. Males had a median income of $50,425 versus $32,304 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,492. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[12]

Communities

City

• Monticello (seat)

Villages

• Atwood (partial)
• Bement
• Cerro Gordo
• Cisco
• De Land
• Hammond
• Mansfield

Map of Piatt County, Illinois

Census-designated places

• La Place
• White Heath

Other unincorporated communities

• Amenia
• Galesville
• Lodge
• Milmine
• Pierson
• Voorhies

Former places

• Blue Ridge

Townships

• Bement
• Blue Ridge
• Cerro Gordo
• Goose Creek
• Monticello
• Sangamon
• Unity
• Willow Branch

Politics

United States presidential election results for Piatt County, Illinois ^[13]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,104	63.94%	3,204	33.56%	238	2.49%
2020	6,248	63.43%	3,329	33.79%	274	2.78%
2016	5,634	62.19%	2,645	29.19%	781	8.62%
2012	5,413	61.92%	3,090	35.35%	239	2.73%
2008	4,991	55.34%	3,859	42.79%	168	1.86%
2004	5,392	62.80%	3,124	36.38%	70	0.82%
2000	4,619	55.09%	3,488	41.60%	278	3.32%
1996	3,265	44.05%	3,274	44.17%	873	11.78%
1992	3,076	36.42%	3,520	41.67%	1,851	21.91%
1988	4,137	56.85%	3,099	42.59%	41	0.56%
1984	5,000	63.46%	2,840	36.05%	39	0.49%
1980	4,867	62.25%	2,421	30.97%	530	6.78%
1976	4,442	55.39%	3,509	43.75%	69	0.86%
1972	5,057	67.72%	2,394	32.06%	17	0.23%
1968	3,973	56.28%	2,447	34.66%	639	9.05%
1964	3,141	44.63%	3,897	55.37%	0	0.00%
1960	4,506	60.90%	2,889	39.05%	4	0.05%
1956	4,622	66.23%	2,356	33.76%	1	0.01%
1952	4,701	67.82%	2,220	32.03%	11	0.16%
1948	3,646	60.13%	2,361	38.93%	57	0.94%
1944	3,912	59.38%	2,641	40.09%	35	0.53%
1940	4,564	55.94%	3,564	43.68%	31	0.38%
1936	3,931	48.77%	4,084	50.66%	46	0.57%
1932	3,179	42.71%	4,200	56.43%	64	0.86%
1928	4,565	69.62%	1,959	29.88%	33	0.50%
1924	3,799	64.31%	1,733	29.34%	375	6.35%
1920	4,283	68.16%	1,903	30.28%	98	1.56%
1916	4,012	55.49%	3,028	41.88%	190	2.63%
1912	1,150	30.71%	1,417	37.84%	1,178	31.46%
1908	2,349	57.96%	1,530	37.75%	174	4.29%
1904	2,515	63.24%	1,334	33.54%	128	3.22%
1900	2,648	57.32%	1,905	41.23%	67	1.45%
1896	2,579	56.07%	1,958	42.57%	63	1.37%
1892	2,138	51.08%	1,896	45.29%	152	3.63%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Piatt County

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
4. "Monthly Averages for Monticello IL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
6. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
10. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
11. "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
12. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
13. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2018.

40°01′N88°35′W / 40.01°N 88.59°W / 40.01; -88.59