# Will County, Illinois

Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 696,355, an increase of 2.8% from 677,560 in 2010, making it Illinois's fourth-most populous county. The county seat is Joliet. Will County is one of the five collar counties of the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. The portion of Will County around Joliet uses area codes 815 and 779, while 630 and 331 are for far northern Will County and 708 is for central and eastern Will County.

## History

Will County was formed on January 12, 1836, out of Cook and Iroquois Counties. It was named after Conrad Will, a politician and businessman involved in salt production in southern Illinois. Will was a member of the first Illinois Constitutional Convention and a member of the Illinois legislature until his death in 1835. Besides its present area, the county originally included the part of Kankakee County, Illinois, north of the Kankakee River. It lost that area when Kankakee County was organized in 1852. Since then its boundaries have not changed.
36 locations in Will County are on the National Register of Historic Places.
   "WILL, a county in the E. N. E. part of Illinois, bordering on Indiana, has an area of 1,236 square miles (3,200 km$^2$). It is intersected by the Kankakee and Des Plaines Rivers, branches of the Illinois. The surface is generally level, and destitute of timber, excepting small groves. The soil is very fertile, and much of it is under cultivation. The soil of the prairies is a deep, sandy loam, adapted to Indian corn and grass. In 1850 the county produced 527,903 bushels of Indian corn; 230,885 of wheat; 334,360 of oats; 32,043 tons of hay, and 319,054 pounds of butter. It contained 14 churches, 3 newspaper offices; 3472 pupils attending public schools, and 200 attending other schools. Quarries of building stone are worked near the county seat. The Des Plaines river furnishes water-power. The county is intersected by the Illinois and Michigan canal, by the Chicago branch of the Central railroad, the Chicago and Mississippi, and by the Chicago and Rock Island railroad. Named in honor of Conrad Will, for many years a member of the Illinois legislature. Capital, Joliet. Population 16,703."
* Will County from its 1836 creation to 1852
* Will County in 1853, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Kankakee County

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 849 square miles (2,200 km$^2$), of which 837 square miles (2,170 km$^2$) is land and 12 square miles (31 km$^2$) (1.5%) is water.
The Kankakee River, Du Page River and the Des Plaines River run through the county and join on its western border. The Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal run through Will County.
A number of areas are preserved as parks (over 20,000 acres (81 km$^2$) total) under the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The 17,000 acres (69 km$^2$) Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a U.S. Forest Service park in the county on the grounds of the former Joliet Arsenal. Other parks include Channahon State Park and the Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area.

### Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Joliet have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 inches (40 mm) in January to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in July.

### Adjacent counties

* Kane County (northwest)
* DuPage County (north)
* Cook County (northeast)
* Lake County, Indiana (east)
* Kankakee County (south)
* Grundy County (southwest)
* Kendall County (west)

## Demographics

Will County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 388,523 | 455,577 | 418,418 | 77.35% | 67.24% | 60.09% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 51,980 | 74,419 | 79,256 | 10.35% | 10.98% | 11.38% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 672 | 814 | 711 | 0.13% | 0.12% | 0.10% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 11,021 | 30,458 | 42,416 | 2.19% | 4.50% | 6.09% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 120 | 104 | 82 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 536 | 751 | 2,105 | 0.11% | 0.11% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 5,646 | 9,620 | 22,516 | 1.12% | 1.42% | 3.23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 43,768 | 105,817 | 130,851 | 8.71% | 15.62% | 18.79% |
| Total | 502,266 | 677,560 | 696,355 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 677,560 people, 225,256 households, and 174,062 families residing in the county. The population density was 809.6 inhabitants per square mile (312.6/km$^2$). There were 237,501 housing units at an average density of 283.8 per square mile (109.6/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% white, 11.2% black or African American, 4.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 5.8% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.6% were German, 18.6% were Irish, 13.3% were Polish, 11.1% were Italian, 5.9% were English, and 2.1% were American.
Of the 225,256 households, 44.0% had children under 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.7% were non-families, and 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.41. The median age was 35.4.
The median income for a household in the county was $75,906 and the median income for a family was $85,488. Males had a median income of $60,867 versus $40,643 for females. The per capita income was $29,811. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under 18 and 5.6% of those 65 or older.

## Government

Will County is governed by a 22-member county board elected from 11 districts. Each district elects two members. The county executive, county clerk, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder of deeds, state's attorney, and sheriff are all elected in a countywide vote. The current county executive is Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, who took office in 2020.
Will County government has been housed in a succession of courthouses, the first being erected in 1837. The fourth courthouse was designed of reinforced concrete in the Brutalist style by Otto Stark of C.F. Murphy Associates and completed in 1969. Citing lack of space, inefficiency and high operating costs, the County Board chose to erect a new courthouse, which was designed by Wight & Co. and completed in 2020. Considerable controversy surrounded the disposition of the 1969 courthouse, with Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois including the building on its “2022 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois”. After a number of votes and appeals, demolition was approved and the destruction of the building began on December 4, 2023.

## Politics

Like most of the collar counties, Will County was once a Republican stronghold. It went Republican in all but three elections from 1892 to 1988. Since the 1990s, it has become a swing county. It voted for the national winner in every presidential election from 1980 to 2012, but Chicago-born Hillary Clinton won it along with the rest of the "collar counties" aside from McHenry in 2016.
United States presidential election results for Will County, Illinois :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 157,672 | 47.93% | 162,874 | 49.52% | 8,391 | 2.55% |
| 2020 | 155,116 | 44.80% | 183,915 | 53.11% | 7,235 | 2.09% |
| 2016 | 132,720 | 43.63% | 151,927 | 49.94% | 19,579 | 6.44% |
| 2012 | 128,969 | 46.36% | 144,229 | 51.85% | 4,967 | 1.79% |
| 2008 | 122,597 | 42.69% | 160,406 | 55.86% | 4,178 | 1.45% |
| 2004 | 130,728 | 52.37% | 117,172 | 46.94% | 1,709 | 0.68% |
| 2000 | 95,828 | 50.00% | 90,902 | 47.43% | 4,940 | 2.58% |
| 1996 | 62,506 | 42.15% | 69,354 | 46.76% | 16,444 | 11.09% |
| 1992 | 58,337 | 38.35% | 59,633 | 39.20% | 34,153 | 22.45% |
| 1988 | 73,129 | 59.10% | 49,816 | 40.26% | 786 | 0.64% |
| 1984 | 78,684 | 63.25% | 45,193 | 36.33% | 520 | 0.42% |
| 1980 | 69,310 | 57.44% | 41,975 | 34.79% | 9,373 | 7.77% |
| 1976 | 61,784 | 53.85% | 51,103 | 44.54% | 1,840 | 1.60% |
| 1972 | 65,155 | 65.67% | 33,633 | 33.90% | 430 | 0.43% |
| 1968 | 43,630 | 49.32% | 31,576 | 35.70% | 13,254 | 14.98% |
| 1964 | 38,619 | 43.75% | 49,663 | 56.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 42,575 | 50.86% | 41,056 | 49.04% | 81 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 45,628 | 64.34% | 25,188 | 35.52% | 100 | 0.14% |
| 1952 | 38,533 | 56.34% | 29,749 | 43.50% | 110 | 0.16% |
| 1948 | 28,601 | 51.41% | 26,430 | 47.51% | 597 | 1.07% |
| 1944 | 30,058 | 52.32% | 27,085 | 47.14% | 310 | 0.54% |
| 1940 | 32,291 | 52.13% | 29,442 | 47.53% | 213 | 0.34% |
| 1936 | 25,028 | 45.25% | 28,135 | 50.86% | 2,151 | 3.89% |
| 1932 | 25,173 | 48.16% | 25,798 | 49.36% | 1,295 | 2.48% |
| 1928 | 26,081 | 55.02% | 20,877 | 44.04% | 447 | 0.94% |
| 1924 | 22,780 | 64.16% | 4,707 | 13.26% | 8,018 | 22.58% |
| 1920 | 21,746 | 76.37% | 5,410 | 19.00% | 1,318 | 4.63% |
| 1916 | 19,881 | 62.59% | 11,378 | 35.82% | 506 | 1.59% |
| 1912 | 3,331 | 19.87% | 4,717 | 28.13% | 8,719 | 52.00% |
| 1908 | 10,358 | 61.29% | 5,693 | 33.68% | 850 | 5.03% |
| 1904 | 10,001 | 66.39% | 3,191 | 21.18% | 1,873 | 12.43% |
| 1900 | 10,056 | 59.22% | 6,655 | 39.19% | 269 | 1.58% |
| 1896 | 9,249 | 56.94% | 6,873 | 42.32% | 120 | 0.74% |
| 1892 | 6,720 | 49.51% | 6,434 | 47.40% | 420 | 3.09% |

## Education

* Governors State University is a 6,000-student public university in University Park.
* Lewis University is a 5,200-student four-year private university in Romeoville.
* University of St. Francis is a 3,300-student four-year private university in Joliet.
* The county is in Community College District 525 and is served by Joliet Junior College in Joliet. Joliet Junior College was the first two-year higher education institution in the United States.

### K-12 school districts

K-12 school districts, including any with any territory in Will County, no matter how slight, even if the schools and/or administrative headquarters are in other counties:
K-12:
* Beecher Community Unit School District 200U
* Coal City Community Unit School District 1
* Crete-Monee Community Unit School District 201-U
* Indian Prairie School District 204
* Manteno Community Unit School District 5
* Naperville Community Unit District 203
* Oswego Community Unit School District 308
* Peotone Community Unit School District 207U
* Plainfield School District 202
* Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U
* Valley View Community Unit School District 365U
* Wilmington Community Unit School District 209U
Secondary:
* Bloom Township High School District 206
* Joliet Township High School District 204
* Lincoln Way Community High School District 210
* Lockport Township High School District 205
* Minooka Community High School District 111
Elementary:
* Chaney-Monge School District 88
* Channahon School District 17
* Elwood Community Consolidated School District 203
* Fairmont School District 89
* Frankfort Community Consolidated School District 157C
* Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C
* Joliet Public School District 86
* Laraway Community Consolidated School District 70C
* Lockport School District 91
* Manhattan School District 114
* Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201
* Mokena School District 159
* New Lenox School District 122
* Richland School District 88A
* Rockdale School District 84
* Steger School District 194;
* Summit Hill School District 161
* Taft School District 90
* Troy Community Consolidated School District 30C
* Union School District 81
* Will County School District 92

## Transportation

Will County is served by four U.S. interstate highways, four U.S. highways, and 12 Illinois highways. Pace provides bus transit services within the county.

### Rail

Four different Metra commuter rail lines (Metra Electric Main Line, Southwest Service, Rock Island District and Heritage Corridor) connect Will County with the Chicago Loop. Amtrak serves the county at Joliet Transportation Center. The Lincoln Service operates between Chicago and St. Louis, while the Texas Eagle provides service from Chicago south to San Antonio and west to Los Angeles.

### Major highways

* Interstate 55
* Interstate 57
* Interstate 80
* Interstate 355
* U.S. Highway 6
* U.S. Highway 30
* U.S. Highway 45
* U.S. Highway 52
* U.S. Highway 66
* Illinois Route 1
* Illinois Route 7
* Illinois Route 43
* Illinois Route 50
* Illinois Route 53
* Illinois Route 59
* Illinois Route 102
* Illinois Route 113
* Illinois Route 126
* Illinois Route 129
* Illinois Route 171
* Illinois Route 394

## Energy infrastructure
### Pipelines

Will County is a major hub in the national natural gas pipeline grid where pipelines from Canada and the Gulf of Mexico meet and then fan out to serve the Midwest. The following major energy companies own pipeline that runs through Will County:
* Alliance Pipeline
* Enbridge
* Integrys Energy Group
** Peoples Gas
* Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission
* TransCanada
** ANR Pipeline - Fully owned & operated
** Northern Border Pipeline - Partially owned & fully operated
* Vector Pipeline

### Joliet Refinery

ExxonMobil owns and operates the Joliet Refinery along the Des Plaines River just east of I-55. According to ExxonMobil, the refinery employs about 600 people and was constructed in 1972.

## Municipalities
### Cities

* Aurora (mostly in DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties)
* Braidwood
* Crest Hill
* Joliet (partly in Kendall County)
* Lockport
* Naperville (mostly in DuPage County)
* Wilmington

### Villages

* Beecher
* Bolingbrook (partly in DuPage County)
* Channahon (partly in Grundy County)
* Coal City (mostly in Grundy County)
* Crete
* Diamond (mostly in Grundy County)
* Elwood
* Frankfort (partly in Cook County)
* Godley
* Homer Glen (partly in Cook County)
* Manhattan
* Minooka (mostly in Grundy & Kendall counties)
* Mokena
* Monee
* New Lenox
* Orland Park (mostly in Cook County)
* Oswego (mostly in Kendall County)
* Park Forest (mostly in Cook County)
* Peotone
* Plainfield (partly in Kendall County)
* Rockdale
* Romeoville
* Shorewood
* Steger (partly in Cook County)
* Symerton
* Tinley Park (mostly in Cook County)
* University Park (partly in Cook County)
* Woodridge (mostly in DuPage County)

### Census-designated places

* Andres
* Arbury Hills
* Ballou
* Bonnie Brae
* Crystal Lawns
* Custer Park
* Eagle Lake
* Fairmont
* Frankfort Square
* Goodenow
* Goodings Grove (former)
* Ingalls Park
* Lakewood Shores
* Lockport Heights
* Lorenzo
* Marley
* Plum Valley
* Polk
* Preston Heights
* Rest Haven
* Ridgewood
* Ritchie
* Sunnyland
* Willow Brook Estates
* Wilton
* Wilton Center

### Fort

* Beggs

### Townships

* Channahon
* Crete
* Custer
* DuPage
* Florence
* Frankfort
* Green Garden
* Homer
* Jackson
* Joliet
* Lockport
* Manhattan
* Monee
* New Lenox
* Peotone
* Plainfield
* Reed
* Troy
* Washington
* Wesley
* Wheatland
* Will
* Wilmington
* Wilton