| County: | Schuyler County |
| State: | Illinois |
| Ex Image: | Schuyler County Courthouse, Rushville.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Schuyler County Courthouse, Rushville |
| Founded: | 1825 |
| Seat Wl: | Rushville |
| Largest City: | Rushville |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 441 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 437 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 4.1 |
| Area Percentage: | 0.9 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6902 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | www.schuylercountyillinois.com |
| District: | 15th |
| Named For: | Philip Schuyler |
Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 6,902.[1] Its county seat is Rushville.[2]
Schuyler County was formed in 1825 out of Pike and Fulton counties. It is named for Philip Schuyler, member of the Continental Congress and Senator from New York. In 1826, the county seat was moved from Beardstown (now in Cass County) to Rushville.[3]
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.9%) is water.
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rushville 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 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,544 people, 3,040 households, and 2,014 families residing in the county.[4] The population density was . There were 3,459 housing units at an average density of .[5] The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 3.2% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.[4] In terms of ancestry, 26.8% were American, 20.2% were German, 13.1% were English, and 12.0% were Irish.[6]
Of the 3,040 households, 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 43.6 years.[4]
The median income for a household in the county was $43,686 and the median income for a family was $51,654. Males had a median income of $40,998 versus $28,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,649. About 8.6% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.[7]
In 1853, Schyler County adopted the township form of county government.[3] Since November 22, 2013, Schuyler County is located in Regional Office of Education #26 alongside Hancock, Fulton, and McDonough counties.[8]
The county is located in Illinois's 15th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican Mary Miller. In the Illinois General Assembly, the county is split between multiple legislative districts. The northern portion of the county is located in the 47th legislative district and the 94th house district represented by Senator Neil Anderson and Representative Norine Hammond respectively. The southern portion of the county is located in the 50th legislative district and the 99th house district represented by Senator Jil Tracy and Representative Randy Frese respectively.[9]
In presidential elections, Schuyler County usually favors Republican candidates, having voted for Democratic presidential candidates in only four elections during the period of 1944–2020. Since 1944, the Democratic candidate has won a majority of the vote in Schuyler County only once (in 1964).