Ford County
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Ford County Courthouse in Paxton
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Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
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Illinois's location within the U.S.
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| Coordinates: 40°35′N 88°13′W / 40.59°N 88.22°W / 40.59; -88.22 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | February 17, 1859 |
| Named for | Thomas Ford |
| Seat | Paxton |
| Largest city | Paxton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 486 sq mi (1,260 km2) |
| • Land | 486 sq mi (1,260 km2) |
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (2 km2) 0.1% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 13,534 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
| 13,250
 |
| • Density | 28/sq mi (11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 2nd, 16th |
| Website | www |
Ford County is a county located in the U.S. stateofIllinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 13,534.[1] Its county seatisPaxton.[2] Ford County was part of the Champaign–Urbana, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area until 2018, when the Office of Management and Budget removed the county from the area.[3][4]
Ford County was formed February 17, 1859, making it Illinois's "newest" county. It was created at the behest of some residents of Vermilion County, who complained to the General Assembly that they lived too far from the county seat. Ford County was named after Thomas Ford, the Governor of Illinois from 1842 to 1846.[5]
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 486 square miles (1,260 km2), of which 486 square miles (1,260 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (0.1%) is water.[6]
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paxton have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.40 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.38 inches (111 mm) in May.[7]
US Route 24
US Route 45
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 47
Illinois Route 54
Illinois Route 115
Illinois Route 116| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,979 | — | |
| 1870 | 9,103 | 360.0% | |
| 1880 | 15,099 | 65.9% | |
| 1890 | 17,035 | 12.8% | |
| 1900 | 18,359 | 7.8% | |
| 1910 | 17,096 | −6.9% | |
| 1920 | 16,466 | −3.7% | |
| 1930 | 15,489 | −5.9% | |
| 1940 | 15,007 | −3.1% | |
| 1950 | 15,901 | 6.0% | |
| 1960 | 16,606 | 4.4% | |
| 1970 | 16,382 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,265 | −6.8% | |
| 1990 | 14,275 | −6.5% | |
| 2000 | 14,241 | −0.2% | |
| 2010 | 14,081 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | 13,534 | −3.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 13,250 | [8] | −2.1% |
| US Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] | |||
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,081 people, 5,676 households, and 3,798 families living in the county.[14] The population density was 29.0 inhabitants per square mile (11.2/km2). There were 6,282 housing units at an average density of 12.9 per square mile (5.0/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population.[14] In terms of ancestry, 35.7% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 13.6% were American, and 10.4% were English.[15]
Of the 5,676 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 42.4 years.[14]
The median income for a household in the county was $48,667 and the median income for a family was $62,819. Males had a median income of $43,849 versus $30,136 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,401. About 5.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.[16]
Ford County is one of the state's most consistently Republican counties; since its 1859 organization it has voted for Republican presidential candidates in all but two elections. In 1912, the GOP was mortally divided and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt carried the county over the more conservative official nominee William Howard Taft; in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt in the first of his four campaigns became and has remained the only Democrat to carry Ford County. Since 1968 no Democratic presidential candidate has topped 36% of the county's vote, and since the county first formed only three Democrats – all in landslide national victories – have managed 40% of Ford County's votes.
After the Libertarian Party's success in the 1998 election for Ford County Sheriff and other countywide offices, it achieved established party status. At the time this made Ford County the only county in Illinois with three established parties. Due to its second place showing over the then-dormant Democratic Party in that election, the Libertarians received the minority party's seat on the Board of Review and one of the five seats on the Sheriff's Merit Commission.[17] This status was lost by 2002 after the Libertarian Party failed to field any candidates in the 2002 general election.[18]
President Gerald Ford visited Ford County on October 24, 1974, to mark the retirement of Congressman Leslie C. ArendsofMelvin who served in Congress for 40 years, including over 30 years as Republican Minority Whip.[19]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 5,048 | 72.46% | 1,754 | 25.18% | 165 | 2.37% |
| 2016 | 4,480 | 70.04% | 1,414 | 22.11% | 502 | 7.85% |
| 2012 | 4,229 | 70.20% | 1,656 | 27.49% | 139 | 2.31% |
| 2008 | 4,079 | 63.73% | 2,227 | 34.80% | 94 | 1.47% |
| 2004 | 4,511 | 69.62% | 1,912 | 29.51% | 56 | 0.86% |
| 2000 | 3,889 | 63.20% | 2,090 | 33.97% | 174 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | 3,077 | 53.33% | 2,065 | 35.79% | 628 | 10.88% |
| 1992 | 3,046 | 47.00% | 2,175 | 33.56% | 1,260 | 19.44% |
| 1988 | 4,059 | 66.05% | 2,026 | 32.97% | 60 | 0.98% |
| 1984 | 4,871 | 73.11% | 1,763 | 26.46% | 29 | 0.44% |
| 1980 | 5,024 | 69.64% | 1,803 | 24.99% | 387 | 5.36% |
| 1976 | 4,801 | 63.56% | 2,690 | 35.61% | 62 | 0.82% |
| 1972 | 5,656 | 74.51% | 1,934 | 25.48% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1968 | 5,233 | 65.38% | 2,216 | 27.69% | 555 | 6.93% |
| 1964 | 4,650 | 57.57% | 3,427 | 42.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 5,779 | 68.16% | 2,698 | 31.82% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1956 | 6,027 | 73.66% | 2,152 | 26.30% | 3 | 0.04% |
| 1952 | 6,216 | 74.49% | 2,121 | 25.42% | 8 | 0.10% |
| 1948 | 4,903 | 69.89% | 2,079 | 29.64% | 33 | 0.47% |
| 1944 | 5,317 | 69.91% | 2,270 | 29.85% | 18 | 0.24% |
| 1940 | 5,770 | 65.11% | 3,062 | 34.55% | 30 | 0.34% |
| 1936 | 4,524 | 53.79% | 3,715 | 44.17% | 171 | 2.03% |
| 1932 | 3,342 | 43.88% | 4,175 | 54.82% | 99 | 1.30% |
| 1928 | 4,668 | 68.72% | 2,098 | 30.88% | 27 | 0.40% |
| 1924 | 4,672 | 70.53% | 1,093 | 16.50% | 859 | 12.97% |
| 1920 | 4,995 | 82.40% | 958 | 15.80% | 109 | 1.80% |
| 1916 | 4,670 | 66.31% | 2,054 | 29.16% | 319 | 4.53% |
| 1912 | 832 | 22.44% | 1,035 | 27.91% | 1,841 | 49.65% |
| 1908 | 2,617 | 65.59% | 1,164 | 29.17% | 209 | 5.24% |
| 1904 | 2,836 | 71.22% | 926 | 23.25% | 220 | 5.52% |
| 1900 | 2,936 | 64.87% | 1,469 | 32.46% | 121 | 2.67% |
| 1896 | 2,832 | 64.28% | 1,507 | 34.20% | 67 | 1.52% |
| 1892 | 2,227 | 58.41% | 1,359 | 35.64% | 227 | 5.95% |
Places adjacent to Ford County, Illinois
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Municipalities and communities of Ford County, Illinois, United States
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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40°35′N 88°13′W / 40.59°N 88.22°W / 40.59; -88.22
