Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,193. Its county seat is Mound City. Its largest city is Mounds. It is located along the Ohio River in the southwestern portion of the state, known locally as "Little Egypt".

History Pulaski County was formed on March 3, 1843, out of parts of Alexander and Johnson counties. It was named in honor of Casimir Pułaski who was killed at the siege of Savannah in the Revolutionary War.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Illinois by area.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mound City have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in June 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in September to in May.

Major highways Interstate 57 U.S. Highway 51 Illinois Route 3 Illinois Route 37 Illinois Route 169

Adjacent counties Union County (north) Johnson County (northeast) Massac County (east) Ballard County, Kentucky (southeast) Alexander County (west)

National protected area Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,193. The median age was 46.0 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,268 households in the county, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.1% were married-couple households, 23.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,831 housing units, of which 19.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.0% were owner-occupied and 24.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Redistricting data provide the counts for each racial and ethnic group listed in the table below.

+Pulaski County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)5,8655,0204,8413,9373,24566.35%66.73%65.88%63.90%62.49%Black or African American alone (NH)2,9002,4592,2491,9761,46232.81%32.69%30.61%32.07%28.15%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1981025360.21%0.11%0.14%0.41%0.69%Asian alone (NH)1166813130.12%0.08%0.93%0.21%0.25%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 Census030xx0.00%0.05%0.00%Other race alone (NH)41614140.05%0.01%0.08%0.23%0.27%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6796219xx0.91%1.56%4.22%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4129107972040.46%0.39%1.46%1.57%3.93%Total8,8407,5237,3486,1615,193 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 6,161 people, 2,642 households, and 1,658 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 3,155 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 64.4% white, 32.4% black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.1% were German, 6.8% were Irish, 6.6% were English, and 6.6% were American.

Of the 2,642 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 43.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,173 and the median income for a family was $39,699. Males had a median income of $36,915 versus $29,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,444. About 16.7% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over. Communities

Cities Mound City Mounds

Villages Karnak New Grand Chain (usually referred to as "Grand Chain") Olmsted Pulaski Ullin

Unincorporated communities

America Perks Spencer Heights Villa Ridge Wetaug

Politics Pulaski County was often a swing county at the presidential level, but has voted for the Republican candidates for U.S. president since 2012.

This trend in Pulaski County has begun to affect down-ballot races as well. In the 2020 Senate election, longtime Democratic Senator Dick Durbin lost the county for the first time in his career, after winning it in his four prior elections.

See also Cantonment Wilkinson Site National Register of Historic Places listings in Pulaski County

Notes

References