Madison County, Illinois

Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in Illinois and the most populous in the southern portion of the state. The county seat is Edwardsville, and the largest city is Granite City.
Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The pre-Columbian city of Cahokia Mounds, a World Heritage Site, was located near Collinsville. Edwardsville is home to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. To the north, Alton is known for its abolitionist and American Civil War-era history. It is also the home of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. Godfrey, the village named for Captain Benjamin Godfrey, offers Lewis and Clark Community College formerly the Monticello Female Seminary.
History
Madison County was established on September 14, 1812. It was formed from parts of Randolph and St. Clair counties and named for President James Madison. At the time of its formation, Madison County included all of the modern State of Illinois north of St. Louis, as well as all of Wisconsin, part of Minnesota, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
In the late 19th century, Madison County became an industrial region, and in the 20th century was known first for Graniteware, and later for its steel mills, oil refineries, and other heavy industries. The county had a large working population, and the county and surrounding area was a center of strength for the Democratic Party.
Industrial restructuring cost many jobs and reduced the population. The county now is part of the eastern St. Louis metropolitan area (nicknamed "Metro East"), as is neighboring St. Clair County.
In 2009, the EPA issued an air pollution report that ranked Madison County as the county with the second-highest cancer risk in the country due to air pollution, second only to Los Angeles County, California.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.4%) is water. Madison County is on the Mississippi River, while the other major body of water is Horseshoe Lake.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Edwardsville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in July 2012. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May. Climate Zone 4A per the International Energy Conservation Code.
Adjacent counties and city
Bond County - east
Clinton County - southeast
Jersey County - northwest
Macoupin County - north
Montgomery County - northeast
St. Charles County, Missouri - northwest
St. Clair County - south
St. Louis, Missouri - west
St. Louis County, Missouri - west
Parks and Reserves
Chouteau Island
Gabaret Island
Horseshoe Lake State Park
Mosenthein Island
Transportation
Madison County Transit serves the county with 25 bus routes and of bike trails.
Major highways
I-55
I-70
I-255
I-270
US 40
US 67
IL 3
IL 4
IL 100
IL 162
IL 140
IL 160
IL 143
IL 157
IL 159
IL 111
IL 203
IL 255
IL 267
Demographics
According to the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 81.4% white (80.4% white non-Hispanic), 9.4% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 6.3% two or more races, and 1.5% some other race. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population.
According to the 2010 census, there were 269,282 people, 108,094 households, and 71,756 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 117,106 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% white, 7.9% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.7% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 10.5% were English, 7.5% were American, and 5.7% were Italian.
Of the 108,094 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 38.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,941 and the median income for a family was $64,630. Males had a median income of $50,355 versus $35,543 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,127. About 9.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Alton
Collinsville (partly in St. Clair County)
Edwardsville
Fairmont City
Granite City
Highland
Madison
Troy
Venice
Villages
Alhambra
Bethalto
East Alton
Glen Carbon
Godfrey
Grantfork
Hamel
Hartford
Livingston
Marine
Maryville
New Douglas
Pontoon Beach
Pierron
Roxana
South Roxana
St. Jacob
Williamson
Wood River
Worden
Census Designated Places
Holiday Shores
Mitchell
Moro
Prairietown
Rosewood Heights
Other unincorporated and historic communities
Binney
Cottage Hills
Donkville
Dorsey
Fosterburg
Gard
Goshen Settlement
Kaufman
Kuhn Station
LeClaire
Lincoln Place
Lumaghi Heights
Meadowbrook
Midway
Newport
Poag
St. Morgan
State Park Place
Upper Alton
Wanda
Townships
Madison County is divided into twenty-four townships:
Alhambra
Alton
Chouteau
Collinsville
Edwardsville
Fort Russell
Foster
Godfrey
Granite City
Hamel
Helvetia
Jarvis
Leef
Marine
Moro
Nameoki
New Douglas
Olive
Omphghent
Pin Oak
Saline
St. Jacob
Venice
Wood River
Islands
Chouteau Island
Gabaret Island
Mosenthein Island
Historic Settlements
Camp Dubois
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Madison County.
† county seat
Politics
Like much of southern Illinois, Madison County was a predominantly Democratic area for much of its history, but in recent elections has been moving toward Republican. Mitt Romney narrowly carried the county in the 2012 presidential election, becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to do so since 1984. In 2016, Donald Trump carried the largest share of the vote for any Republican presidential candidate since 1972. The county also supported the Republican candidates for governor in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Education
Alton Community Unit School District 11
Bethalto Community Unit School District 8
Collinsville Community Unit School District 10
East Alton School District 13
East Alton-Wood River Community High School District 14
Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7
Granite City Community Unit School District 9
Highland Community Unit School District 5
Madison Community Unit School District 12
Roxana Community Unit School District 1
Triad Community Unit School District 2
Venice Community Unit School District 3
Wood River-Hartford Elementary School District 15
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Illinois
The Invincible Thieves
References
External links
Madison County website
A History of Madison County Illinois
Madison Historical: The Online Encyclopedia and Digital Archive for Madison County, Illinois
Illinois counties
1812 establishments in Illinois Territory
Illinois counties on the Mississippi River
Metro East
Populated places established in 1812
Pre-statehood history of Illinois