Washington County, Illinois

	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	█ Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel

Nashville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	█ Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
	█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
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Washington County
Washington County
County
	Washington County Courthouse in Nashville
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
	Illinois's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 38°21′N 89°25′W / 38.35°N 89.42°W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	January 2, 1818
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Nashville
Largest city	Nashville
Area
• Total	564 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Land	563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2) 0.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	13,761
• Estimate (2023)	13,536
• Density	24/sq mi (9.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.washingtonco.illinois.gov

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,761.^[1] Its county seat is Nashville.^[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

History

Washington County was formed on January 2, 1818, out of St. Clair County. It was named for George Washington. Despite its relative proximity to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, the county is not considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, also known as the Metro-East. In 1813, the Lively Massacre occurred near Little Crooked Creek. In 1959, the state established the Washington County State Recreation Area.^[3] Washington County was initially settled by immigrants from Kentucky who moved northward out of that state in the early 1800s. In the late 1800s there were (relatively) large numbers of immigrants who settled in Washington County, and by the early 1900s there were large numbers of first-generation immigrants still living in Washington County. They primarily came from the four countries of Germany, Poland, Ireland and England.^[4]

Washington County from its 1818 creation to 1824
Washington County in 1824, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Clinton County

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 square miles (1,460 km²), of which 563 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[5] There are many lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks in this area, including the Kaskaskia River, which is the county's northern border.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Nashville have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −21 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.18 inches (55 mm) in January to 4.10 inches (104 mm) in May.^[6] On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado swept through the area, destroying homes and causing two fatalities.

Public transit

South Central Transit

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Clinton County (north)
Marion County (northeast)
Jefferson County (east)
Perry County (south)
Randolph County (southwest)
St. Clair County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	1,517		—
1830	1,675		10.4%
1840	4,810		187.2%
1850	6,953		44.6%
1860	13,731		97.5%
1870	17,599		28.2%
1880	21,112		20.0%
1890	19,262		−8.8%
1900	19,526		1.4%
1910	18,759		−3.9%
1920	18,035		−3.9%
1930	16,286		−9.7%
1940	15,801		−3.0%
1950	14,460		−8.5%
1960	13,569		−6.2%
1970	13,780		1.6%
1980	15,472		12.3%
1990	14,965		−3.3%
2000	15,148		1.2%
2010	14,716		−2.9%
2020	13,761		−6.5%
2023 (est.)	13,536	^[7]	−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790-1960^[9] 1900-1990^[10] 1990-2000^[11] 2010^[12]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,716 people, 5,926 households, and 4,112 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 26.2 inhabitants per square mile (10.1/km²). There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of 11.6 per square mile (4.5/km²).^[5] The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.^[13] In terms of ancestry, 53.6% were German, 14.0% were Polish, 13.1% were Irish, 7.7% were English, and 6.1% were American.^[14]

Of the 5,926 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 42.3 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $51,440 and the median income for a family was $64,171. Males had a median income of $44,272 versus $30,683 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,846. About 5.5% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.^[15]

Education

The county is served by six school districts:^[16]

Oakdale CCSD 1
West Washington County CUD 10
Irvington CCSD 11
Ashley CCSD 15
Nashville CCSD 49
Nashville Community High School District 99

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Washington County is divided into these townships:

Politics

Washington is a rural conservative county in Southern Illinois that has always trended Republican in presidential elections. The only Democrat to win a majority of the county's ballots since the Civil War was Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide. Historically, the county was dominated by organized labor and family farms. The area tends to be economically and socially conservative.

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Illinois^[17]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	5,892	77.56%	1,564	20.59%	141	1.86%
2020	6,115	77.20%	1,641	20.72%	165	2.08%
2016	5,571	74.90%	1,448	19.47%	419	5.63%
2012	4,792	64.45%	2,450	32.95%	193	2.60%
2008	4,473	56.39%	3,342	42.13%	117	1.48%
2004	5,072	62.59%	2,986	36.85%	46	0.57%
2000	4,353	60.98%	2,638	36.96%	147	2.06%
1996	3,339	48.20%	2,744	39.61%	844	12.18%
1992	3,003	39.75%	2,986	39.52%	1,566	20.73%
1988	4,127	60.04%	2,689	39.12%	58	0.84%
1984	5,129	68.24%	2,363	31.44%	24	0.32%
1980	5,354	68.98%	2,158	27.80%	250	3.22%
1976	4,485	57.18%	3,222	41.08%	137	1.75%
1972	5,179	68.85%	2,327	30.94%	16	0.21%
1968	4,793	63.32%	2,093	27.65%	683	9.02%
1964	3,840	51.13%	3,670	48.87%	0	0.00%
1960	5,053	61.95%	3,093	37.92%	11	0.13%
1956	5,299	65.14%	2,820	34.67%	16	0.20%
1952	5,546	66.17%	2,824	33.70%	11	0.13%
1948	4,544	61.99%	2,737	37.34%	49	0.67%
1944	5,428	66.31%	2,723	33.26%	35	0.43%
1940	5,701	61.82%	3,479	37.73%	42	0.46%
1936	4,540	51.20%	4,119	46.45%	209	2.36%
1932	3,076	38.81%	4,696	59.25%	154	1.94%
1928	3,638	55.90%	2,848	43.76%	22	0.34%
1924	3,444	56.43%	1,717	28.13%	942	15.44%
1920	4,519	70.76%	1,102	17.26%	765	11.98%
1916	4,657	60.95%	2,794	36.57%	190	2.49%
1912	1,058	24.99%	1,654	39.06%	1,522	35.95%
1908	2,355	53.87%	1,830	41.86%	187	4.28%
1904	2,374	57.30%	1,504	36.30%	265	6.40%
1900	2,351	51.81%	2,081	45.86%	106	2.34%
1896	2,351	53.30%	1,979	44.87%	81	1.84%
1892	1,956	47.35%	1,868	45.22%	307	7.43%