Smithboro, Illinois

"Smithboro" redirects here. For the village in County Monaghan, Ireland, see Smithborough.

Smithboro, Illinois
Village
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 38°53′40″N89°20′24″W / 38.89444°N 89.34000°W / 38.89444; -89.34000 [1]
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Bond
Township	Pleasant Mound
Founded	1870
Incorporated	1889
Named after	Henry H. Smith
Government
• Village president	Bill Archibald [2]
Area [3]
• Total	0.93 sq mi (2.41 km2)
• Land	0.93 sq mi (2.41 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation [1]	551 ft (168 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	154
• Estimate  (2024) [4]	151
• Density	165.24/sq mi (63.82/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62284
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-70213
GNIS feature ID	2399829 [1]
Wikimedia Commons	Smithboro, Illinois

Smithboro is a village in Pleasant Mound Township, Bond County, Illinois, United States. The population was 154 at the 2020 census.

History

Smithboro, founded in 1870, ^[5] was once called "Henderson Station" and was renamed after Henry H. Smith, the town's founder postmaster. The town name was spelled "Smithborough" until 1893. The town was incorporated as a village in 1889. ^[6]

Smithboro and its immediate area was evacuated on December 27, 1981, for a day after a train derailment, affecting 200 people. 22 of 84 trail cars derailed; dichlorodifluromethane and phosphoryl chloride were leaked. Residents were able to return the next day, after cleanup and rail traffic was redirected to a temporary track. ^[7]

Geography

Smithboro is located at 38°53′47″N89°20′29″W / 38.89639°N 89.34139°W / 38.89639; -89.34139 (38.896290, -89.341451). ^[8]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Smithboro has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.41 km²), all land. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	40		—
1890	393		882.5%
1900	314		−20.1%
1910	301		−4.1%
1920	277		−8.0%
1930	222		−19.9%
1940	222		0.0%
1950	253		14.0%
1960	213		−15.8%
1970	203		−4.7%
1980	236		16.3%
1990	201		−14.8%
2000	200		−0.5%
2010	177		−11.5%
2020	154		−13.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

As of the 2020 census ^[11] there were 154 people, 75 households, and 48 families residing in the village. The population density was 165.24 inhabitants per square mile (63.80/km²). There were 73 housing units at an average density of 78.33 per square mile (30.24/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.45% White and 4.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 75 households, out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.33% were married couples living together, 18.67% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 29.33% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

The village's age distribution consisted of 35.8% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $51,563. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,185. About 14.6% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Smithboro, Illinois
2. "Elected Officials – Bond County, Illinois" . Retrieved July 1, 2022.
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
4. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. March 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
5. "COMMUNITIES - WESTERN". National Road Association of Illinois.
6. Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL. Consulted on August 15, 2007.
7. "About 200 residents returned to their homes Monday, ending..." UPI. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.