Saline County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 23,768. The largest city and county seat is Harrisburg. This area of Southern Illinois is known locally as "Little Egypt."

Three major towns in Saline County are connected by U.S. Route 45, and formerly by the now-abandoned Cairo and Vincennes/Big Four/New York Central Line, from north to south: Eldorado, Harrisburg, and Carrier Mills.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.8%) is water.

The Saline County area is mostly rolling hills throughout gradually rising to the Hills of the Shawnee National Forest. The Saline River flows through the central point of the county in three forks: North, Middle, and South. To the north of Eldorado there are flat lowlands.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Harrisburg have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1951 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in September to in May.

Adjacent counties

Hamilton County (north) White County (northeast) Gallatin County (east) Hardin County (southeast) Pope County (south) Johnson County (southwest) Williamson County (west) Franklin County (northwest)

National protected area Shawnee National Forest (part)

State protected areas Sahara Woods State Fish and Wildlife Area Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area

Transportation Transit Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways U.S. Highway 45 Illinois Route 13 Illinois Route 34 Illinois Route 142 Illinois Route 145

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,768. The median age was 43.2 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

34.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,996 households in the county, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.6% were married-couple households, 20.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 11,576 housing units, of which 13.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.2% were owner-occupied and 27.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.6%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Saline County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)27,35525,35525,03523,01121,30996.16%95.50%93.65%92.37%89.65%Black or African American alone (NH)8609251,0799746923.02%3.48%4.04%3.91%2.91%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)28667184690.10%0.25%0.27%0.34%0.29%Asian alone (NH)3239521001220.11%0.15%0.19%0.40%0.51%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census390xx0.01%0.04%0.00%Other race alone (NH)27311210940.09%0.12%0.04%0.04%0.40%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2233851,009xx0.83%1.55%4.25%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1461352583404730.51%0.51%0.97%1.36%1.99%Total28,44826,55126,73324,91323,768 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 24,913 people, 10,379 households, and 6,631 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 11,697 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% white, 4.0% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.8% were Irish, 16.6% were German, 12.9% were American, and 11.1% were English.

Of the 10,379 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.1% were non-families, and 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 41.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,644 and the median income for a family was $46,314. Males had a median income of $41,108 versus $28,464 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,903. About 13.4% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities Eldorado Harrisburg

Villages Carrier Mills (Morrilsville) Galatia Muddy Raleigh Stonefort (partly in Williamson County)

Unincorporated communities

Buena Vista Cottage Grove Derby Eagle Harco Lakeview (Pond Settlement) Ledford Liberty Long Branch Mitchellsville New Hope Pankeyville Rudement Somerset Texas City Wasson West End

Townships Saline County is divided into thirteen townships:

Brushy Carrier Mills Cottage East Eldorado Galatia Harrisburg Independence Long Branch Mountain Raleigh Rector Stone Fort Tate

Politics Saline County is a Republican stronghold. Unlike most of Southern Illinois, Republicans were also successful in the latter decades of the 1800s. This usurped a Democratic trend that followed the county's founding. Saline County would become a Republican-leaning swing county in the 1910s. This held on for the remainder of twentieth century and broke in the new millennium. Despite having voted for the last three Democratic presidential candidates, Saline County began electing only Republicans from 2000 onward. Since the 2010s, Democrats have not managed to reach even 35% of the vote..

The county was less conservative downballot; as recently as 2006 it voted for Illinois's Democrat gubernatorial candidate. However, as of 2022, over three quarters of its vote went to the Republican candidate.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Saline County Ku Klux Klan in Southern Illinois

References

External links Saline County Chamber of Commerce Saline County Official Website (Under Development) "Tails and Trails of Illinois", Stu Fliege, University of Illinois Press,2002. "https://web.archive.org/web/20120206132243/http://www.iltrails.org/saline/towns_cities.html, © 2000-2001 by Debbie Woolard, Illinois Trails History and Genealogy. Gillum Ferguson. 2007. The Perilous Infancy of Saline County, Journal of Illinois History, Vol. 10, p. 49.