Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria metropolitan area.

History

Peoria County was formed in 1825 out of Fulton County. It was named for the Peoria, an Illiniwek people who lived there. It included most of the western valley of the Illinois River up to the Chicago river portage.

Geography According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.8%) is water. The county is drained by Spoon River, Kickapoo Creek, Elbow Creek, and Copperas Creek.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Peoria have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1884 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Adjacent counties

Knox County – northwest Stark County – north Marshall County – northeast Woodford County – east Tazewell County – south Fulton County – southwest

Transportation Transit Greater Peoria Mass Transit District

Major highways

Interstate 74 Interstate 474 U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 150 Illinois Route 6 Illinois Route 8 Illinois Route 9 Illinois Route 29 Illinois Route 40 Illinois Route 78 Illinois Route 90 Illinois Route 91 Illinois Route 116

Defunct highways Illinois Route 174 Illinois Route 175

Airports General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA), formerly Greater Peoria Regional Airport Mount Hawley Auxiliary Airport (3MY) – Peoria, Illinois

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 181,830. The median age was 38.5 years; 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 67.4% White, 18.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.5% of the population.

83.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 75,808 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.9% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 85,074 housing units, of which 10.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.3% were owner-occupied and 36.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Peoria County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)174,586152,801143,932135,620120,62987.09%83.58%78.47%72.72%66.34%Black or African American alone (NH)21,34924,74629,32032,72033,63510.65%13.54%15.98%17.54%18.50%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2753033653733420.14%0.17%0.20%0.20%0.19%Asian alone (NH)1,3222,1933,0105,8197,7300.66%1.20%1.64%3.12%4.25%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 Census395961xx0.02%0.03%0.03%Other race alone (NH)4621882883147830.23%0.10%0.16%0.17%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,6524,4878,559xx1.45%2.41%4.71%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,4722,5963,8277,10210,0911.23%1.42%2.09%3.81%5.55%Total200,466182,827183,433186,494181,830 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

In terms of ancestry, per the 2010 US Census, 28.3% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 10.4% were English, and 5.5% were American.

Of the 75,793 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 36.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,747 and the median income for a family was $63,163. Males had a median income of $51,246 versus $32,881 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,157. About 10.3% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Points of interest Glasford crater Jubilee College State Park WMBD World's Most Beautiful Drive (Grandview Drive/Prospect)Grandview Drive Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018) Forest Park Nature CenterForest Park Nature Center Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018) Peoria Heights Tower ParkPeoria Heights Tower Park Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018) Rock Island Trail

Communities Cities Chillicothe Elmwood Farmington (part) Pekin (part) Peoria (seat) West Peoria

Villages

Bartonville Bellevue Brimfield Dunlap Glasford Hanna City Kingston Mines Mapleton Norwood Peoria Heights Princeville

Census-designated places Lake Camelot Mossville Rome Smithville Trivoli

Unincorporated communities

Edelstein Edwards Kickapoo Laura Mossville

Townships The cities of Peoria and West Peoria are considered independent from all of the townships within this county.

Akron Brimfield Chillicothe Elmwood Hallock Hollis Jubilee Kickapoo Limestone Logan Medina Millbrook Peoria City Princeville Radnor Richwoods Rosefield Timber Trivoli West Peoria (former, now defunct and majority part of West Peoria and south segment ceded to Limestone Township)

School districts

Notable residents

People from Peoria County other than in the city of Peoria: Chris Brackett, host of Arrow Affliction on The Sportsman Channel Mike Dunne, pitcher for several Major League Baseball teams Mary Emma Holmes (1839-1937), reformer, suffragist, and educator Bill Krieg, Major League Baseball player Lance (Henry) LeGault, TV and movie actor: Colonel Roderick Decker on The A-Team Zach McAllister, Major League Baseball player: Cleveland Indians pitcher Johnston McCulley, pulp fiction author: creator of Zorro Richard Pryor, Actor, Comedian David Ogden Stiers, actor, Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H Josh Taylor, TV actor: Chris Kostichek on the soap opera Days of Our Lives Jim Thome, first baseman for several Major League Baseball teams

Government Peoria County is governed by an 18-member County Board which meets on the second Thursday of each month. Each member represents a district with roughly 10,000 residents.

District Board Member Residence In office since Party1 Sharon K. Williams Peoria 2012 Democratic2 Camille Coates Peoria 2022 Democratic3 Betty Duncan Peoria 2020 Democratic4 Brandy Bryant Peoria 2019 Democratic5 James C. Dillon (Chair) West Peoria 2006 Democratic6 Eden Blair, Ph.D. Peoria 2019 Democratic7 Phillip Salzer Peoria 2000 Democratic8 Marsha McCann Peoria 2024 Democratic9 Danny Phelan Peoria Heights 2022 Democratic10 Rob Reneau Peoria 2018 Democratic11 Linda E. Daley Peoria 2019 Republican12 Daniel Kelch Edwards 2022 Republican13 Terry Ruthland Chillicothe 2022 Republican14 Brian Elsasser Princeville 1998 Republican15 Steven B. Rieker Peoria 2016 Republican16 Matt Windish Brimfield 2018 Republican17 Jennifer Groves Allison Peoria 2019 Democratic18 Paul Rosenbohm Peoria 2010 Republican

The County also elects a Circuit Clerk, Coroner, County Clerk, Sheriff, State's Attorney, Regional Superintendent (of Education), and Treasurer to four-year terms. The elected Auditor position was eliminated by public referendum in 2022.

Office Current Holder In office since PartyCircuit Clerk Bobby Spears 2002 DemocraticCoroner Jamie Harwood 2016 DemocraticCounty Clerk Rachael Parker 2019 DemocraticSheriff Chris Watkins 2022 RepublicanState's Attorney Jodi Hoos 2019 DemocraticRegional Superintendent George McKenna, Ph.D. 2024 DemocraticTreasurer Branden Martin 2024 Republican

Politics

Prior to 1992, Peoria County, like most of central Illinois, was overwhelmingly Republican. Usually, it only voted for Democratic Party presidential candidates when they won nationally by a landslide. It began trending away from the GOP in the mid-1980s, as evidenced when Ronald Reagan only carried it with 55 percent of the vote in 1984 even as he was winning reelection in a landslide nationally.

From 1992 onward, the county has backed the Democratic candidate in every presidential election, though never by a margin greater than 10 percent aside from 2008 when Illinoisan Barack Obama won it by nearly 14 points. This relative closeness in results was most evident in 2004 when the county backed John Kerry over George W. Bush by only 70 votes.

In Congress, Peoria County is represented by Democrat Eric Sorensen of Illinois's 17th congressional district and Republican Darin LaHood of the Illinois's 18th congressional district.

In the Illinois Senate, Peoria County is represented by Republican Win Stoller of the 37th Legislative District and Democrat Dave Koehler of the 46th Legislative District. In the Illinois House of Representatives, Peoria County is represented by Republican Ryan Spain of the 73rd Representative District, Republican Travis Weaver of the 91st Representative District and Democrat Jehan Gordon-Booth of the 92nd Representative District.

Education K-12 school districts include: - Text list Brimfield Community Unit School District 309 Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 Elmwood Community Unit School District 322 Farmington Central Community Unit School District 265 Illini Bluffs Community Unit School District 327 Illinois Valley Central Unit School District 321 Peoria School District 150 Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325 Princeville Community Unit School District 326 Stark County Community Unit School District 100 Williamsfield Community Unit School District 210

Secondary school districts include: Limestone Community High School District 310

Elementary school districts include: Bartonville School District 66 Hollis Consolidated School District 328 Limestone Walters Community Consolidated School District 316 Monroe School District 70 Norwood Elementary School District 63 Oak Grove School District 68 Pleasant Hill School District 69 Pleasant Valley School District 62

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Peoria County, Illinois

References

External links