Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 8,457. Its county seat is McLeansboro. It is located in the southern portion of the state known locally as "Little Egypt".
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of McLeansboro have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 8,457 people, 3,489 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 4,104 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.1% were German, 20.7% were Irish, 11.4% were English, and 10.3% were American. Of the 3,489 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couplesliving together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 43.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $35,032 and the median income for a family was $50,878. Males had a median income of $45,245 versus $23,491 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,602. About 8.2% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Like most of Southern-leaning Southern Illinois, Hamilton County was heavily Democratic before the Civil War, and unlike such counties as Johnson, Pope and Massac, it did not turn Republican after the war. Not until 1920, when isolationist sentiments turned many voters against the party of Woodrow Wilson, did Hamilton County vote Republican, and Herbert Hoover was to carry the county in 1928 due to anti-Catholic sentiment against Al Smith. From 1940 onwards, when Wendell Willkie carried the county due to opposition to involvement in World War II, Hamilton has become increasingly Republican. Although Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 all gained absolute majorities for the Democratic Party, since 1992, as with all traditionally Democratic parts of the Upland South, a very rapid swing to the Republicans has taken place due to overwhelming local opposition to the Democratic Party's liberal views on social issues. Over the past six elections, the Republicans have advanced from losing by 21 percentage points to winning by an overwhelming fifty-eight – an average of gaining thirteen percentage points per election.
