Moultrie County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moultrie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 14,287. Its county seat is Sullivan, Illinois6. The name is pronounced as in "mole tree", unlike the pronunciation of its namesake.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 892 km² (344 mi²). 869 km² (336 mi²) of it is land and 23 km² (9 mi²) of it (2.57%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Piatt County - north
- Douglas County - east
- Coles County - east
- Shelby County - south
- Macon County - northwest
[edit] History
Moultrie County was formed in 1843 out of Shelby and Coles Counties. It is named for South Carolina General, and later Governor, William Moultrie. General Moultrie defended Sullivan's Island, South Carolina from British attack in 1776. The site was later renamed Fort Moultrie. Nearby Jasper County was named for Sgt. William Jasper, another hero of the defense of Sullivan's Island.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,287 people, 5,405 households, and 3,978 families residing in the county. The population density was 16/km² (43/mi²). There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (17/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.91% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,405 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,084, and the median income for a family was $46,655. Males had a median income of $35,470 versus $21,168 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,562. About 5.30% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.
