Wayne County, Illinois

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 16,179.^[2] Its county seat is Fairfield.^[3] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

Wayne County was formed in 1819 out of Edwards County. It is named after Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne, an officer in the Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War.

• Wayne County between its 1819 creation and 1821
• Wayne County between 1821 and 1824
• Wayne County in 1824, reduced to its current size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 square miles (1,850 km²), of which 714 square miles (1,850 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[4]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Fairfield have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.70 inches (69 mm) in February to 4.80 inches (122 mm) in April.^[5]

• Rides Mass Transit District

• Interstate 64
• U.S. Highway 45
• Illinois Route 15
• Illinois Route 242

• Clay County (north)
• Richland County (northeast)
• Edwards County (east)
• White County (southeast)
• Hamilton County (south)
• Jefferson County (southwest)
• Marion County (northwest)

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,179. The median age was 42.8 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males age 18 and over.^[13]

The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.1% of the population.^[14]

29.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 70.5% lived in rural areas.^[15]

There were 6,774 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.4% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[13]

There were 7,679 housing units, of which 11.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.9% were owner-occupied and 21.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.^[13]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,760 people, 7,102 households, and 4,853 families living in the county.^[25] The population density was 23.5 inhabitants per square mile (9.1/km²). There were 7,975 housing units at an average density of 11.2 per square mile (4.3/km²).^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.^[25] In terms of ancestry, 17.0% were German, 14.1% were English, 12.7% were American, and 9.8% were Irish.^[26]

Of the 7,102 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.9 years.^[25]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,207 and the median income for a family was $47,879. Males had a median income of $34,800 versus $27,192 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,493. About 9.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.^[27]

• Fairfield

Wayne County is divided into these 20 townships:

According to Department of Defense data, Wayne County has received six 5.56MM rifles and three "Utility Trucks" with a total acquisition cost of $120,705.^[28]

Wayne County is one of the most Republican counties in Illinois; Republicans have won the vast majority of presidential elections. Democrats have not won Wayne County since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide, and even then by less than 5 percentage points.

In the nineteenth century, the county was exclusively Democratic instead. The shift began right at 1900 and solidified in 1920, after which it regularly gave majority votes to Republicans. Donald Trump has given record Republican victories of over 80% in each of his runs.

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County

38°26′N 88°25′W / 38.43°N 88.42°W / 38.43; -88.42