Henderson County, Illinois

Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,387.^[1] Its county seat is Oquawka.^[2] Henderson County is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Henderson County
County
Henderson County Courthouse, Oquawka
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°49′N 90°56′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1841
Named after	Richard Henderson
Seat	Oquawka
Largest village	Oquawka
Area
• Total	395 sq mi (1,020 km2)
• Land	379 sq mi (980 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km2)  4.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,387
• Estimate  (2023)	6,088
• Density	16/sq mi (6.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.hendersoncountyedc.com

History

Henderson County was formed in 1841 from a portion of Warren County. It was named for Henderson County, Kentucky, which was named for Richard Henderson,^[3] founder of the Transylvania Company, an early attempt to organize what later became Kentucky around 1775.

• 
  Henderson County at the time of its creation in 1841

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 395 square miles (1,020 km²), of which 379 square miles (980 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (4.1%) is water.^[4]

Climate and weather

Oquawka, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.3     30 15     1.5     36 21     3     49 31     3.6     62 43     4.4     72 54     4.5     82 63     4.5     85 67     3.9     83 65     3.6     76 57     2.9     65 46     2.7     49 33     2.1     35 21 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[5]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     33     −1 −9     39     2 −6     75     9 −1     92     17 6     112     22 12     113     28 17     114     29 19     98     28 18     91     24 14     74     18 8     69     9 1     53     2 −6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Oquawka have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.31 inches (33 mm) in January to 4.48 inches (114 mm) in July.^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 34
• Illinois Route 94
• Illinois Route 96
• Illinois Route 116
• Illinois Route 164

Adjacent counties

• Mercer County - north
• Warren County - east
• McDonough County - southeast
• Hancock County - south
• Lee County, Iowa - southwest
• Des Moines County, Iowa - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	4,612		—
1860	9,501		106.0%
1870	12,582		32.4%
1880	10,722		−14.8%
1890	9,876		−7.9%
1900	10,836		9.7%
1910	9,724		−10.3%
1920	9,770		0.5%
1930	8,778		−10.2%
1940	8,949		1.9%
1950	8,416		−6.0%
1960	8,237		−2.1%
1970	8,451		2.6%
1980	9,114		7.8%
1990	8,096		−11.2%
2000	8,213		1.4%
2010	7,331		−10.7%
2020	6,387		−12.9%
2023 (est.)	6,088	[6]	−4.7%
US Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010[11]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,331 people, 3,149 households, and 2,127 families residing in the county.^[12] The population density was 19.3 inhabitants per square mile (7.5/km²). There were 3,827 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km²).^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% were German, 14.5% were Irish, 11.9% were English, 5.9% were Swedish, and 5.0% were American.^[13]

2020 census

Henderson 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 1980[14]	Pop 1990[15]	Pop 2000[16]	Pop 2010[17]	Pop 2020[18]	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	9,003	7,998	8,041	7,133	6,060	98.78%	98.79%	97.91%	97.30%	94.88%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1	8	21	15	29	0.01%	0.10%	0.26%	0.20%	0.45%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	4	24	7	15	5	0.04%	0.30%	0.09%	0.20%	0.08%
Asian alone (NH)	15	10	8	15	14	0.16%	0.12%	0.10%	0.20%	0.22%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	x [19]	x [20]	3	5	5	x	x	0.04%	0.07%	0.08%
Other race alone (NH)	9	0	0	3	0	0.10%	0.00%	0.00%	0.04%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	x [21]	x [22]	61	66	162	x	x	0.74%	0.90%	2.54%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	82	56	72	79	112	0.90%	0.69%	0.88%	1.08%	1.75%
Total	9,114	8,096	8,213	7,331	6,387	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

Of the 3,149 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 47.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,450 and the median income for a family was $55,154. Males had a median income of $41,052 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,492. About 7.8% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.^[23]

Government and politics

Government

County Board

Office[24]		Name	Party
	County Board at-large	Kim Gullberg	Republican
	County Board at-large	Bill Knupp	Republican
	County Board at-large	Kurt McChesney	Republican
	County Board at-large	Todd Miller	Republican
	County Board at-large	Janet Stubbs	Republican

County Officials

Office[24]		Name	Party
	Circuit Clerk	Sandra Keane	Republican
	Coroner	John Fedler	Republican
	State's Attorney	Susan Maxwell-Schneider	Republican

Courts

Judicial Court

Office[24]		Name	Party
	9th Circuit Court	Bruce Beal	Independent
	9th Circuit Court	James Standard	Independent
	9th Circuit Court	Nigel Graham	Republican
	9th Circuit Court	Rodney Clark	Independent

As part of Yankee-settled Northern Illinois, Henderson County was solidly Whig in its first three elections and then equally Republican from that party's formation until the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 was the first Democrat to win it, but the county returned to Republican Alf Landon in 1936 and was not won by a Democrat until the GOP nominated the southern-oriented conservative Barry Goldwater in 1964.

After that, like many Yankee counties, it returned to its Republican roots between 1968 and 1984, but turned reliably Democratic in presidential elections from 1988 to 2012. Republican Donald Trump carried the county with over 61 percent of the vote in 2016; the highest percentage won by any Republican candidate since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, and for then Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, it was the lowest by a Democrat since Al Smith in 1928. Republican margins have continued to improve in each subsequent election as rural Illinois shifts sharply to the right and native son Barack Obama is no longer on the ballot, with Trump's 68% in 2024 marking the best Republican result since 1928. The county's new Republican dominance has extended to the local level as well, with Republicans going entirely unchallenged for county office.^[24]

Henderson County is located in Illinois's 17th Congressional District and is currently represented by Democrat Eric Sorensen. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 94th district and is currently represented by Republican Randy Frese. The county is located in the 47th district of the Illinois Senate, and is currently represented by Republican Jil Tracy. Along with five other counties,^[a] Henderson County makes up Illinois's 9th Judicial Circuit Court.

United States presidential election results for Henderson County, Illinois^[25]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,369	68.27%	1,026	29.57%	75	2.16%
2020	2,394	65.48%	1,187	32.47%	75	2.05%
2016	2,155	61.26%	1,155	32.83%	208	5.91%
2012	1,541	43.19%	1,978	55.44%	49	1.37%
2008	1,541	40.25%	2,215	57.85%	73	1.91%
2004	1,857	44.71%	2,269	54.64%	27	0.65%
2000	1,708	44.18%	2,030	52.51%	128	3.31%
1996	1,233	34.07%	1,953	53.97%	433	11.96%
1992	1,310	32.36%	2,013	49.73%	725	17.91%
1988	1,726	45.17%	2,085	54.57%	10	0.26%
1984	2,289	53.51%	1,969	46.03%	20	0.47%
1980	2,443	57.54%	1,609	37.89%	194	4.57%
1976	2,210	50.15%	2,152	48.83%	45	1.02%
1972	2,689	60.62%	1,744	39.31%	3	0.07%
1968	2,224	53.62%	1,635	39.42%	289	6.97%
1964	1,863	45.07%	2,271	54.93%	0	0.00%
1960	2,572	60.19%	1,697	39.71%	4	0.09%
1956	2,743	65.08%	1,469	34.85%	3	0.07%
1952	2,839	65.98%	1,458	33.88%	6	0.14%
1948	2,336	60.87%	1,465	38.17%	37	0.96%
1944	2,695	63.34%	1,550	36.43%	10	0.24%
1940	3,264	61.81%	1,977	37.44%	40	0.76%
1936	2,663	51.02%	2,496	47.82%	61	1.17%
1932	1,815	42.55%	2,372	55.60%	79	1.85%
1928	2,695	71.11%	1,065	28.10%	30	0.79%
1924	2,879	72.87%	803	20.32%	269	6.81%
1920	2,747	76.65%	740	20.65%	97	2.71%
1916	2,528	58.50%	1,611	37.28%	182	4.21%
1912	648	27.84%	721	30.97%	959	41.19%
1908	1,547	62.23%	820	32.98%	119	4.79%
1904	1,668	65.67%	708	27.87%	164	6.46%
1900	1,772	61.98%	976	34.14%	111	3.88%
1896	1,756	62.80%	962	34.41%	78	2.79%
1892	1,352	55.94%	921	38.11%	144	5.96%

Communities

City

• Dallas City (partly in Hancock County)

Villages

• Biggsville
• Gladstone
• Gulfport
• Lomax
• Media
• Oquawka
• Raritan
• Stronghurst

Census-designated place

• Carman

Unincorporated communities

• Bald Bluff
• Carthage Lake
• Decorra
• Hopper
• Olena
• Shokonon
• Terre Haute

Townships

Henderson County is divided into eleven townships:

• Bald Bluff
• Biggsville
• Carman
• Gladstone
• Lomax
• Media
• Oquawka
• Raritan
• Rozetta
• Stronghurst
• Terre Haute

State and Federal facilities

• Big River State Forest - 2,900 acre preserve adjacent to the Mississippi River (1925)
• Delabar State Park - 89 acre preserve adjacent to the Mississippi River (1960)
• Oquawka State Wildlife Refuge^[26]

Education

K-12 school districts include:^[27]

• Mercer County School District 404
• United Community School District 304
• West Central Community Unit School District 235
• West Prairie Community Unit School District 103

There is one secondary school district that extends into the county, Illini West High School District 307, as well as two elementary school districts: Dallas Elementary School District 327 and La Harpe Community School District 347.^[28]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Henderson County, Illinois

Notes

1. Fulton, Hancock, Knox, McDonough, Warren