Stark County is a county in Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,400. Its county seat is Toulon. Stark County is part of the Peoria, Illinois, metropolitan area.

History Stark County was formed in 1839 out of Knox and Putnam counties. It was named for General Colonel John Stark, who served in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Toulon have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Major highways Illinois Route 17 Illinois Route 18 Illinois Route 40 Illinois Route 78 Illinois Route 91 Illinois Route 93

Adjacent counties Henry County (northwest) Bureau County (north) Marshall County (east) Peoria County (south) Knox County (west)

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,400. The median age was 45.5 years, with 21.9% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.1% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 95.0% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,226 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,577 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.9%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Stark County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)7,3286,4706,2135,8265,07099.17%99.02%98.12%97.20%93.89%Black or African American alone (NH)45428170.05%0.08%0.06%0.47%0.31%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)11810980.15%0.12%0.16%0.15%0.15%Asian alone (NH)10211219230.14%0.32%0.19%0.32%0.43%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)xincluded in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusxincluded in the Asian category in the 1990 Census000xx0.00%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)100150.01%0.00%0.00%0.02%0.09%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xnot an option in the 1980 Censusxnot an option in the 1990 Census3952145xx0.62%0.87%2.69%Hispanic or Latino (any race)353054591320.47%0.46%0.85%0.98%2.44%Total7,3896,5346,3325,9945,400 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 5,994 people, 2,425 households, and 1,673 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,674 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.5% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 13.8% were English, 10.8% were American, and 9.8% were Swedish.

Of the 2,425 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 43.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,195 and the median income for a family was $62,681. Males had a median income of $44,931 versus $29,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,311. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over. Communities

Cities Toulon Wyoming

Villages Bradford La Fayette

Unincorporated communities

Castleton Duncan Elmira Lombardville Modena Speer Stark

Townships Stark County is divided into these townships:

Elmira Essex Goshen Osceola Penn Toulon Valley West Jersey

Politics

Since the American Civil War, Stark County has been heavily Republican, like most of Yankee-influenced Northern Illinois. The only Democratic presidential nominee to carry Stark County in the past 150 years has been Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, although Bob Dole won by just sixteen votes against Bill Clinton in 1996, and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt won the county in 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided between Roosevelt and conservative incumbent William Howard Taft.

Education School districts include: - Text list

Bradford Community Unit School District 1 Princeville Community Unit School District 326 Stark County Community Unit School District 100 Wethersfield Community Unit School District 230 Williamsfield Community Unit School District 210

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Stark County

References

External links Stark County Website The Stark County News Wyoming IL Chamber of Commerce Wyoming IL Lions Club Tanners Orchard