Johnson County, Illinois

Johnson County
County
Johnson County Courthouse in Vienna
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°28′N 88°52′W / 37.46°N 88.87°W / 37.46; -88.87
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1812
Named for	Richard Mentor Johnson
Seat	Vienna
Largest city	Vienna
Area
• Total	349 sq mi (900 km2)
• Land	344 sq mi (890 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,308
• Estimate  (2023)	13,326
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th

Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,308.^[1] Its county seat is Vienna.^[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

Johnson County was organized in 1812 out of Randolph County. It was named for Richard Mentor Johnson, who was then a U.S. Congressman from Kentucky.^[3] In 1813, Johnson commanded a Kentucky regiment at the Battle of the Thames, after which he claimed to have killed Tecumseh in hand-to-hand combat. Johnson went on to become Vice President of the United States.

• 
  Johnson County at the time of its creation to 1816
• 
  Johnson County between 1816 and 1818
• 
  Johnson County between 1818 and 1843
• 
  Johnson County in 1843, when it was reduced to its present size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 349 square miles (900 km²), of which 344 square miles (890 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km²) (1.4%) is water.^[4]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vienna have ranged from a low of 25 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 90 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.16 inches (80 mm) in October to 5.16 inches (131 mm) in May.^[5]

• Interstate 24
• Interstate 57
• U.S. Route 45
• Illinois Route 37
• Illinois Route 146
• Illinois Route 147
• Illinois Route 166

• List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

• Williamson County - north
• Saline County - northeast
• Pope County - east
• Massac County - southeast
• Pulaski County - southwest
• Union County - west

• Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Shawnee National Forest (part)

Whereas, according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 89.0% White
• 8.0% Black
• 0.2% Native American
• 0.2% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.0% Two or more races
• 1.6% Other races
• 3.0% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,582 people, 4,584 households, and 3,270 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 36.6 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km²). There were 5,598 housing units at an average density of 16.3 per square mile (6.3/km²).^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% white, 8.0% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population.^[13] In terms of ancestry, 17.6% were German, 11.5% were Irish, 10.9% were English, and 6.5% were American.^[14]

Of the 4,584 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.7% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 42.2 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,619 and the median income for a family was $47,423. Males had a median income of $48,047 versus $30,904 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,402, the lowest of all 102 counties in Illinois and 57th in the U.S. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.^[15]

• Marion (mostly in Williamson County)
• Vienna

• Belknap
• Buncombe
• Cypress
• Goreville
• New Burnside
• Simpson

In its early days Johnson County, being strongly Southern in its culture, was fiercely Democratic. In fact, in the 1860 presidential election, the county gave Illinois native and Northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas a higher proportion of its votes than any other county in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

However, during the Civil War, under the influence of Congressman John Logan, this region of dubious initial loyalty was to provide a number of Union soldiers rivaled on a per capita basis only by a few fiercely Unionist counties in Appalachia.^[16][17] This level of Union service has meant that despite its historic hostility towards Yankee culture, Johnson County has been powerfully Republican ever since the Civil War.^{[citation needed]} Douglas in 1860 remains the last Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote: the solitary Democratic victory since was when Bill Clinton won a plurality against Republican George H. W. Bush and independent Ross Perot.

School districts include:^[19]

K-12:

• Century Community Unit School District 100
• Goreville Community Unit School District 1
• Marion Community Unit School District 2

Secondary:

• Vienna High School District 133

Elementary:

• Buncombe Consolidated School District 43
• Cypress School District 64
• New Simpson Hill Consolidated District 32
• Vienna School District 55

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

• P.T. Chapman, A History of Johnson County, Illinois. Herrin, IL: Press of the Herrin News, 1925.

37°28′N 88°52′W / 37.46°N 88.87°W / 37.46; -88.87