County in Illinois, United States
County in Illinois
Mercer County
is a
county
in
Illinois
. According to the
2020 census
, it had a population of 15,699.
[1]
Its
county seat
is
Aledo
.
[2]
Mercer County is included in the
Davenport
-
Moline
-
Rock Island
, IA-IL
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Mercer County is named for
Hugh Mercer
(1726?1777), a physician and general during the
American Revolution
who died from wounds suffered at the
Battle of Princeton
.
In May 1812, Congress passed an act which set aside lands in
Arkansas
,
Michigan
, and Illinois as payment to volunteer soldiers in the
War of 1812
. Mercer County was part of this "Military Tract."
Seven years after Illinois became a state, Mercer County was founded. It was formed from unorganized territory near
Pike County
on January 13, 1825. Although the county had been created, its government was not organized for several years; for administration purposes it was attached first to Schuyler County (until 1826), then to Peoria (until 1831), and finally to Warren County. The organization of the county government was finally completed in 1835, after a large influx of settlers following the
Black Hawk War
.
[4]
-
Mercer County at the time of its creation in 1825
-
Mercer County in 1827, reduced to its present borders
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km
2
), of which 561 square miles (1,450 km
2
) is land and 7.5 square miles (19 km
2
) (1.3%) is water.
[5]
Climate and weather
[
edit
]
Aledo, Illinois
|
Climate chart (
explanation
)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
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?
Precipitation totals in inches
| Source: The Weather Channel
[6]
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Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
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Precipitation totals in mm
|
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Aledo have ranged from a low of 11 °F (?12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of ?30 °F (?34 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.27 inches (32 mm) in January to 4.43 inches (113 mm) in June.
[6]
Major highways
[
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]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1830
| 26
| | ?
|
---|
1840
| 2,352
| | 8,946.2%
|
---|
1850
| 5,246
| | 123.0%
|
---|
1860
| 15,042
| | 186.7%
|
---|
1870
| 18,769
| | 24.8%
|
---|
1880
| 19,502
| | 3.9%
|
---|
1890
| 18,545
| | ?4.9%
|
---|
1900
| 20,945
| | 12.9%
|
---|
1910
| 19,723
| | ?5.8%
|
---|
1920
| 18,800
| | ?4.7%
|
---|
1930
| 16,641
| | ?11.5%
|
---|
1940
| 17,701
| | 6.4%
|
---|
1950
| 17,374
| | ?1.8%
|
---|
1960
| 17,149
| | ?1.3%
|
---|
1970
| 17,294
| | 0.8%
|
---|
1980
| 19,286
| | 11.5%
|
---|
1990
| 17,290
| | ?10.3%
|
---|
2000
| 16,957
| | ?1.9%
|
---|
2010
| 16,434
| | ?3.1%
|
---|
2020
| 15,699
| | ?4.5%
|
---|
2023 (est.)
| 15,487
| [7]
| ?1.4%
|
---|
As of the
2010 United States Census
, there were 16,434 people, 6,734 households, and 4,724 families residing in the county.
[13]
The population density was 29.3 inhabitants per square mile (11.3/km
2
). There were 7,358 housing units at an average density of 13.1 per square mile (5.1/km
2
).
[5]
The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.
[13]
In terms of ancestry, 25.9% were
German
, 18.2% were
Irish
, 11.3% were
English
, 9.4% were
Swedish
, and 7.4% were
American
.
[14]
Of the 6,734 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.8% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 43.7 years.
[13]
The median income for a household in the county was $50,909 and the median income for a family was $62,025. Males had a median income of $46,136 versus $30,392 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,332. About 8.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
[15]
Communities
[
edit
]
Cities
[
edit
]
Villages
[
edit
]
Unincorporated communities
[
edit
]
Townships
[
edit
]
Mercer County is divided into fifteen
townships
:
Politics
[
edit
]
Historically, Mercer County was a solidly Republican Yankee-influenced county, and before the Republican Party existed a stronghold of the
Whig Party
. The county never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate until
Lyndon Johnson
’s 1964 landslide over
Barry Goldwater
? the solitary break in Whig and Republican dominance occurring in 1912 when the GOP was mortally split and
Progressive
Theodore Roosevelt
carried the county over conservative incumbent President
William Howard Taft
. After Johnson’s victory in the county, Mercer voted to being Republican between 1968 and 1984, but
Reagan
’s landslide in that election saw a swing to the Democrats that was capitalized upon by
Michael Dukakis
to carry the county in 1988. Between then and 2012, Mercer was solidly Democratic, but concern over declining economic opportunities in the “
Rust Belt
” caused a dramatic swing to populist Republican
Donald Trump
in 2016. Trump’s performance was the best by a Republican since
Richard Nixon's
3,000-plus-county landslide in 1972.
Mercer County is located in
Illinois's 17th Congressional District
and is currently represented by Democrat
Cheri Bustos
. Within the
Illinois House of Representatives
, the county is located in the 74th district and is currently represented by Republican
Daniel Swanson
. The county is located in the 37th district of the
Illinois Senate
, and is currently represented by Republican
Chuck Weaver
.
United States presidential election results for Mercer County, Illinois
[16]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
5,418
|
60.78%
|
3,280
|
36.80%
|
216
|
2.42%
|
2016
|
4,807
|
56.39%
|
3,071
|
36.02%
|
647
|
7.59%
|
2012
|
3,876
|
45.24%
|
4,507
|
52.60%
|
185
|
2.16%
|
2008
|
3,833
|
43.21%
|
4,887
|
55.10%
|
150
|
1.69%
|
2004
|
4,405
|
49.09%
|
4,512
|
50.28%
|
57
|
0.64%
|
2000
|
3,688
|
44.34%
|
4,400
|
52.90%
|
230
|
2.77%
|
1996
|
2,688
|
34.04%
|
4,278
|
54.17%
|
931
|
11.79%
|
1992
|
2,983
|
34.93%
|
3,990
|
46.72%
|
1,567
|
18.35%
|
1988
|
3,683
|
46.45%
|
4,204
|
53.02%
|
42
|
0.53%
|
1984
|
4,907
|
54.97%
|
3,982
|
44.61%
|
38
|
0.43%
|
1980
|
5,144
|
56.18%
|
3,361
|
36.71%
|
651
|
7.11%
|
1976
|
4,816
|
53.62%
|
4,090
|
45.54%
|
76
|
0.85%
|
1972
|
5,452
|
60.98%
|
3,477
|
38.89%
|
11
|
0.12%
|
1968
|
4,844
|
56.33%
|
3,143
|
36.55%
|
613
|
7.13%
|
1964
|
4,220
|
48.90%
|
4,410
|
51.10%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1960
|
5,582
|
61.60%
|
3,476
|
38.36%
|
3
|
0.03%
|
1956
|
5,732
|
65.82%
|
2,969
|
34.10%
|
7
|
0.08%
|
1952
|
6,416
|
70.53%
|
2,679
|
29.45%
|
2
|
0.02%
|
1948
|
5,267
|
62.55%
|
3,117
|
37.02%
|
36
|
0.43%
|
1944
|
5,667
|
63.12%
|
3,277
|
36.50%
|
34
|
0.38%
|
1940
|
6,336
|
62.09%
|
3,830
|
37.53%
|
38
|
0.37%
|
1936
|
5,028
|
50.87%
|
4,751
|
48.07%
|
105
|
1.06%
|
1932
|
4,436
|
50.21%
|
4,309
|
48.77%
|
90
|
1.02%
|
1928
|
5,699
|
70.59%
|
2,316
|
28.69%
|
58
|
0.72%
|
1924
|
5,618
|
68.30%
|
1,699
|
20.66%
|
908
|
11.04%
|
1920
|
5,531
|
74.58%
|
1,574
|
21.22%
|
311
|
4.19%
|
1916
|
5,308
|
58.93%
|
3,430
|
38.08%
|
270
|
3.00%
|
1912
|
959
|
19.20%
|
1,602
|
32.07%
|
2,435
|
48.74%
|
1908
|
2,871
|
57.51%
|
1,777
|
35.60%
|
344
|
6.89%
|
1904
|
3,230
|
63.65%
|
1,386
|
27.31%
|
459
|
9.04%
|
1900
|
3,304
|
59.39%
|
2,110
|
37.93%
|
149
|
2.68%
|
1896
|
3,120
|
56.48%
|
2,329
|
42.16%
|
75
|
1.36%
|
1892
|
2,470
|
52.70%
|
1,975
|
42.14%
|
242
|
5.16%
|
See also
[
edit
]
- ^
"Mercer County, Illinois"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
June 10,
2023
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
United States Office of Management and Budget
.
"Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses"
(PDF)
. pp. 5, 36. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on May 14, 2006
. Retrieved
July 21,
2006
.
- ^
Mercer County Fact Sheet, Illinois State Archives.
"Mercer County Fact Sheet"
. Archived from
the original
on October 23, 2007
. Retrieved
October 23,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
"Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Archived from
the original
on February 12, 2020
. Retrieved
July 12,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Monthly Averages for Aledo, Illinois"
. The Weather Channel
. Retrieved
January 27,
2011
.
- ^
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
"Historical Census Browser"
. University of Virginia Library
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 7,
2014
.
- ^
"QuickFacts"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 23,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
"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
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
Leip, David.
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
uselectionatlas.org
. Retrieved
November 11,
2018
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- William C. Ives, "Abraham Lincoln in Mercer County, Illinois, 1832, 1834, 1858,"
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society,
vol. 101 (Fall?Winter 2008), pp. 329?347.
- History of Mercer and Henderson Counties, Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc.
Chicago: H.H. Hill and Company, 1882.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Mercer County, Illinois
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International
| |
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National
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Other
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41°12′N
90°44′W
/
41.20°N 90.74°W
/
41.20; -90.74