Effingham County, Illinois

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,243 km² (480 mi²). 1,240 km² (479 mi²) of it is land and 3 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.25% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 34,264 people, 13,001 households, and 9,178 families residing in the county. The population density is 28/km² (72/mi²). There are 13,959 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (29/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 98.66% White, 0.16% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 13,001 households out of which 36.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% are married couples living together, 9.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% are non-families. 26.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.16.

In the county the population is spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $39,379, and the median income for a family is $46,895. Males have a median income of $31,442 versus $21,121 for females. The per capita income for the county is $18,301. 8.10% of the population and 6.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.10% are under the age of 18 and 7.10% are 65 or older.

Cities and Towns

• Altamont
• Beecher City
• Dieterich
• Edgewood
• Effingham
• Mason
• Shumway
• Teutopolis
• Watson