Winnebago County, Illinois

Last updated

Winnebago County
County
Rockford, IL Winnebago County Justice Center 01.JPG
Winnebago County Justice Center
Winnebago County il seal.png
Seal
Map of Illinois highlighting Winnebago County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois in United States.svg
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°20′N89°10′W / 42.33°N 89.16°W / 42.33; -89.16
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Illinois.svg  Illinois
FoundedJanuary 16, 1836
Named for Winnebago people
Seat Rockford
Largest cityRockford
Area
 • Total
519 sq mi (1,340 km2)
 • Land513 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Water5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  1.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
285,350
 • Estimate 
(2023)
280,922 Decrease2.svg
 • Density550/sq mi (210/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 16th, 17th
Website wincoil.gov

Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar counties. Its county seat is Rockford. [1] Winnebago County is the central county of the Rockford metropolitan area.

Contents

History

Winnebago County was formed on January 16, 1836, out of Jo Daviess and LaSalle counties. It was named for the Winnebago Tribe of American Indians. At the time the county was founded its inhabitants consisted almost entirely of New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York. [2] These were "Yankee" settlers, meaning they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the early 1600s. They made up virtually all of Winnebago County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. In this regard the county was similar to most of the northern portion of the state of Illinois, and almost all of the neighboring state of Wisconsin. After the conclusion of the Black Hawk War there was an additional surge of immigration from New England. As a result of this heritage the inhabitants of Winnebago County considered themselves, and functioned as, a cultural expansion of early New England culture. [3] In the presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln won 3,985 votes in Winnebago County, whereas Stephen A. Douglas only won 817 votes. [4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 519 square miles (1,340 km2), of which 513 square miles (1,330 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.1%) is water. [5]

Climate and weather

Rockford, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
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Source: The Weather Channel [6]
Metric conversion
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rockford have ranged from a low of 11 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.34 inches (34 mm) in February to 4.80 inches (122 mm) in June. [6]

Major highways

Transit

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1840 4,609—
1850 11,773155.4%
1860 24,491108.0%
1870 29,30119.6%
1880 30,5054.1%
1890 39,93830.9%
1900 47,84519.8%
1910 63,15332.0%
1920 90,92944.0%
1930 117,37329.1%
1940 121,1783.2%
1950 152,38525.8%
1960 209,76537.7%
1970 246,62317.6%
1980 250,8841.7%
1990 252,9130.8%
2000 278,41810.1%
2010 295,2666.1%
2020 285,350−3.4%
2023 (est.)280,922 [7] −1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1790–1960 [9] 1900–1990 [10]
1990–2000 [11] 2010–2019 [12]
Winnebago County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000 [13] Pop 2010 [14] Pop 2020 [15] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)220,817214,196183,23579.31%72.54%64.21%
Black or African American alone (NH)29,03835,35838,24010.43%11.97%13.40%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5845635590.21%0.19%0.20%
Asian alone (NH)4,7196,7227,9381.69%2.28%2.78%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)7661660.03%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone (NH)2163191,0990.08%0.11%0.39%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3,7625,87013,2611.35%1.99%4.65%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)19,20632,17740,9526.90%10.90%14.35%
Total278,418295,266285,350100.00%100.00%100.00%

As of the 2010 census, there were 295,266 people, 115,501 households, and 76,854 families residing in the county. [16] The population density was 575.2 inhabitants per square mile (222.1/km2). There were 125,965 housing units at an average density of 245.4 per square mile (94.7/km2). [5] The racial makeup of the county was 77.4% white, 12.2% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 4.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.9% of the population. [16] In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 13.5% were Irish, 9.4% were American, 8.7% were Swedish, 8.3% were English, and 7.4% were Italian. [17]

Of the 115,501 households, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.3 years. [16]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,198 and the median income for a family was $59,814. Males had a median income of $48,358 versus $32,103 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,008. About 11.5% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. [18]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Winnebago County is divided into these townships:

Former Settlement

Politics

For many years, Winnebago County was rather conservative for an urban county. From the 1850s to 1988, it backed the Republican candidates for president at every election except the national Democratic landslides of 1936 and 1964. In the 1990s, it became a swing county, backing the national winner in every presidential election from 1992 to 2012, though only three did so with a majority and only once by more than six percentage points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county by only 89 votes over Donald Trump, affected by the relatively large third-party vote that year.

Underlining how Republican Winnebago County once was, only three Democrats have represented a significant portion of the county in Congress since the 1850s.

United States presidential election results for Winnebago County, Illinois [19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 59,25648.56%59,94249.13%2,8192.31%
2020 60,86147.49%64,05649.98%3,2432.53%
2016 55,62446.33%55,71346.41%8,7187.26%
2012 55,13846.18%61,73251.70%2,5272.12%
2008 53,88642.53%70,03455.27%2,7842.20%
2004 60,78250.06%59,74049.20%9030.74%
2000 53,81649.24%51,98147.56%3,5003.20%
1996 44,47944.52%46,26446.31%9,1679.18%
1992 42,22137.63%48,29843.04%21,69619.33%
1988 55,69954.85%45,28044.59%5710.56%
1984 64,20358.66%44,62940.78%6190.57%
1980 48,82546.46%32,38430.82%23,88022.72%
1976 52,73654.15%42,39943.54%2,2522.31%
1972 57,68261.46%35,93738.29%2310.25%
1968 47,64652.51%36,70240.45%6,3917.04%
1964 39,92044.98%48,83455.02%00.00%
1960 49,54155.20%40,09044.67%1100.12%
1956 48,33262.38%29,06337.51%890.11%
1952 43,46857.95%31,40941.88%1270.17%
1948 29,53751.54%27,14547.36%6311.10%
1944 30,83752.31%27,83147.22%2770.47%
1940 30,68351.89%28,06147.46%3830.65%
1936 24,99746.30%27,20050.38%1,7923.32%
1932 26,63257.12%17,70737.98%2,2864.90%
1928 33,25880.39%7,68418.57%4301.04%
1924 21,97871.32%2,2287.23%6,60821.44%
1920 19,91379.23%3,35513.35%1,8667.42%
1916 14,89365.04%6,19827.07%1,8067.89%
1912 2,53721.32%2,27619.12%7,08959.56%
1908 8,91971.54%2,16317.35%1,38511.11%
1904 8,14374.80%1,17710.81%1,56714.39%
1900 8,10372.69%2,49822.41%5464.90%
1896 8,24275.10%2,44722.30%2862.61%
1892 5,85462.50%2,63428.12%8789.37%

See also

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References

Specific
  1. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  2. ↑ History of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois: From the First Settlement in 1834 to the Civil War pg. 253
  3. ↑ The Expansion of New England: The Spread of New England Settlement and Institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Lois imball Mathews pg. 210-212
  4. ↑ History of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois: From the First Settlement in 1834 to the Civil War, pg. 379
  5. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Rockford, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  13. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Winnebago County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
  14. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Winnebago County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
  15. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Winnebago County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
  16. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  18. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  19. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
General

Further reading

42°20′11″N89°09′39″W / 42.33639°N 89.16083°W / 42.33639; -89.16083

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