Clark County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 17,008. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to decrease by 0.6% from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004, to 16,906. Its county seat is Marshall, Illinois6.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,308 km² (505 mi²). 1,299 km² (502 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (3 mi²) of it (0.67%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Edgar County - north
- Vigo County, Indiana - northeast
- Sullivan County, Indiana - southeast
- Crawford County - south
- Jasper County - southwest
- Cumberland County - west
- Coles County - northwest
[edit] History
Clark County was formed in 1819 out of Crawford County. At the time of its formation, Clark County included about a third of Illinois. It acquired its present boundaries in 1831 as new counties were formed out of it.
Clark County was named for George Rogers Clark, an officer of the army of Virginia that captured the Northwest Territory from the British at the close of the Revolutionary War.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 17,008 people, 6,971 households, and 4,809 families residing in the county. The population density was 13/km² (34/mi²). There were 7,816 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (16/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.78% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,971 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,967, and the median income for a family was $43,213. Males had a median income of $32,035 versus $20,954 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,655. About 6.40% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Education
There are three school districts in Clark County (Marshall, Martinsville and Casey-Westfield) with a total enrollment (2004) of 3,014 students. Each district has one high school (grades 9-12) and one junior high school (grades 7-8). Marshall has two elementary schools and the other districts have one each.
