| County: | Montgomery County |
| State: | Illinois |
| Ex Image: | Montgomery County Courthouse, Hillsboro.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Montgomery County Courthouse, Hillsboro |
| Founded: | 1821 |
| Seat Wl: | Hillsboro |
| Largest City Wl: | Litchfield |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 710 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 704 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 6.0 |
| Area Percentage: | 0.8 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 28288 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | www.montgomeryco.com |
| District: | 15th |
| Named For: | Richard Montgomery |
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 28,288.[1] Its county seat is Hillsboro.[2] [3]
Montgomery County was formed in 1821 out of Bond and Madison counties. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada.[4] Perrin's 1882 History of Montgomery County relates that the county was named in honor of Gen. Montgomery, but goes on to say that "others are dubious as to whence it received its name."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hillsboro have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.
Litchfield Municipal Airport is located in Montgomery County, two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Litchfield, Illinois.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 30,104 people, 11,652 households, and 7,806 families living in the county.[5] The population density was . There were 13,080 housing units at an average density of .[6] The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 3.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.[5] In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German, 11.2% were Irish, 10.1% were English, and 9.8% were American.[7]
Of the 11,652 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 41.9 years.[5]
The median income for a household in the county was $40,864 and the median income for a family was $56,945. Males had a median income of $40,749 versus $29,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,700. About 10.9% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.[8]