| County: | McDonough County |
| State: | Illinois |
| Flag: | Flag of McDonough County, Illinois.png |
| Founded: | January 25, 1826 |
| Seat Wl: | Macomb |
| Largest City Wl: | Macomb |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 590 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 589 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.8 |
| Area Percentage: | 0.1 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 27238 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | http://mcg.mcdonough.il.us/ |
| Ex Image: | McDonough County Courthouse.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | McDonough County Courthouse, 2006 |
| District: | 15th |
| District2: | 17th |
| Named For: | Thomas Macdonough |
McDonough County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,238.[1] Its county seat is Macomb,[2] which is also the home of Western Illinois University.
McDonough County is part of the Macomb, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
McDonough County is named in honor of Thomas Macdonough who defeated a British squadron in the decisive naval Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812.[3] McDonough County was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.1%) is water.
The county has the unusual distinction of forming a perfect square by Mercator map projection. The county seat, Macomb, is in the center of the county, and the courthouse is almost precisely in the center of the county.
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Macomb have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of was recorded in August 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,612 people, 13,057 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county.[4] The population density was . There were 14,419 housing units at an average density of .[5] The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% white, 5.0% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.[4] In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.7% were American, 13.7% were Irish, 12.7% were English, and 5.1% were Italian.[6]
Of the 13,057 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 48.5% were non-families, and 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 28.9 years.[4]
The median income for a household in the county was $33,702 and the median income for a family was $52,390. Males had a median income of $42,297 versus $28,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,344. About 12.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[7]
McDonough County is served by three school districts and two colleges:
McDonough County is split between Illinois’ 15th Congressional District and Illinois' 17th Congressional District, with the majority of the county in the 15th. The Cities of Macomb and Bardolph are included in the 17th district, and the cities of Bushnell, Colchester, Prairie City, Good Hope, Sciota, Industry and Adair are in the 15th district. The 15th District is currently represented by Republican Mary Miller. The 17th District is currently represented by Democrat Eric Sorenson. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is yet again split between the 71st district and the 94th district. The Cities of Macomb, Bushnell, Bardolph, and Prairie City are represented by Republican Daniel Swanson of the 71st district. The cities of Colchester, Industry, Good Hope, Sciota, and Adair are currently represented by Republican Norine Hammond of the 94th district. The county is split along the same lines in the Illinois House as it is in the Illinois Senate, thus the 71st district of the house's lines are the same as the 36th district of the Illinois Senate. The 36th district of the Illinois Senate is represented by Democrat Michael Halpin. The 47th district of the Illinois Senate is represented by Republican Neil Anderson.
In presidential elections, McDonough County was once reliably Republican, voting for the Republican candidate in all but two elections (1912 & 1932) from 1892 to 1988. Since 1988, the county has become more competitive, with Democrats carrying the county three out of seven times and holding the Republican candidate's margin of victory to under four points three times. In 2020, however, McDonough County went for Trump by a margin of 16.5%.