Lawrence County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,280. Its county seat is Lawrenceville.

History Lawrence County was formed in 1821 out of Crawford and Edwards counties. It was named for Capt. James Lawrence, who was killed in action during the War of 1812 while commanding the frigate . Mortally wounded, he gave his men the famous last order, "Don't give up the ship."

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Lawrenceville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Transit Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways U.S. Route 50 Illinois Route 1 Illinois Route 33 Illinois Route 250

Adjacent counties Crawford County - north Knox County, Indiana - east Wabash County - south Richland County - west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,280. The median age was 41.4 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 124.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 129.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.3% White, 9.2% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.

30.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,571 households in the county, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.3% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 6,279 housing units, of which 11.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.8% were owner-occupied and 26.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Lawrence County County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)17,52215,70915,05314,49112,77798.40%98.35%97.42%86.09%83.62%Black or African American alone (NH)1381511181,5831,3930.77%0.95%0.76% 9.40%9.12%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)15311930120.08%0.19%0.12% 0.18%0.08%Asian alone (NH)25201838580.14%0.13%0.12% 0.23%0.38%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 Census017xx0.00%0.01%0.05%Other race alone (NH)14558290.08%0.03%0.03% 0.05%0.19%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census102129490xx0.66%0.77%3.21%Hispanic or Latino (any race)93561375535140.52%0.35%0.89% 3.29%3.36%Total17,80715,97215,45216,83315,280 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,833 people, 6,130 households, and 4,056 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 6,936 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.3% white, 9.6% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.7% were German, 10.4% were American, 9.5% were Irish, and 7.8% were English.

Of the 6,130 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 39.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,771 and the median income for a family was $45,565. Males had a median income of $40,949 versus $25,991 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,297. About 14.8% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities Bridgeport Lawrenceville (seat) St. Francisville Sumner

Village Russellville

Unincorporated communities

Billett Birds Chauncey Petrolia Pinkstaff Riddleville

Townships Nine townships make up Lawrence County. They are:

Allison Bond Bridgeport Christy Denison Lawrence Lukin Petty Russell

Politics In its early days, Lawrence County was a Democratic-leaning swing county, voting Republican only twice up to 1892 when it supported Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 and Benjamin Harrison in 1888. It did not vote for a losing Republican candidate until Wendell Willkie carried the county in 1940 due to isolationist sentiment. Since that time, however, Lawrence County – like so many in Southern Illinois – has become reliably Republican. The only Democrat to gain an absolute majority in the county since 1936 has been Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Bill Clinton obtained pluralities in both 1992 and 1996.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Lawrence County, Illinois

References

External links Lawrence County official site Lawrence County Fact Sheet, Illinois State Archives Blue Star Emergency Medical Services Official Site