Crawford County Profile

Crawford County is located in rural southeast Illinois. It is part of the Greater Wabash region which is made up of seven counties: Crawford, Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White County. Crawford County was named after Secretary of War and Secretary of Treasury William H. Crawford. The county was formed in 1816 when Edwards County was split. At 446 square miles, Crawford County has six municipalities and ten townships.

The county is situated in the Southern Till Plain biome, which is characterized by high clay content soils. The majority of Crawford County is covered by cropland which is interspersed with deciduous forests and pasture.

The elevation in the county is highest in the middle vertical third of the county. Elevation is lowest along the Wabash River in the eastern part of the county and along the Embarras River in the southwestern part of the county. The hydrologic features of the county define many of the lowest elevation areas. Of the six municipalities, Hutsonville and Palestine lie at the lowest elevation due to their proximity to the Wabash River.

Crawford County lies on the dividing ridge of two watersheds – the Embarras Watershed and the Middle Wabash-Busseron Watershed – which can be seen in its topography. A watershed, or drainage basin, is the land area that drains directly to a common stream, river, or lake. Several major streams flow through the county, including the Embarras River and the Wabash River. Burshy Creek, Lamotte Creek, Sugar Creek, and Willow Creek also flow through the county. Crawford County has no major lakes.

Crawford County is home to the Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area, just a few miles away from Hutsonville, IL. The area is used primarily for hunting purposes. The Crawford County Forest Preserve is located just north of Stoy and provides fishing, picnicking, and camping activities to the residents of Crawford County. The natural areas in Crawford County are home to a variety of wildlife. As of April 2023, Crawford County is home to 16 threatened or endangered species.

The climate of Illinois is continental with cold winters, warm and humid summers, and moderate spring and fall temperatures. Changes in temperature, humidity, cloudiness, and wind direction occur frequently. The southern Illinois climate region averages over 40 days above 90°F and 80 days below 32°F per year. Crawford County on average experiences its warmest temperatures in July and coldest temperatures in January. Rainfall peaks in the late spring, and the most snowfall occurs between December and February. Average annual rainfall is 46.30 inches; average annual snowfall is 11.6 inches.

Crawford County has a population of 18,536 and a population density of 41.8 inhabitants per square mile according to the 2022 U.S. Census population estimates.  Between 2020 and 2010, Crawford County’s population decreased by 5.7%. Hutsonville experienced the most significant decrease in population, while Stoy exhibited a small increase. Overall, Crawford County has seen almost 2,000 people move out over the last two decades.

Crawford County's population grew rapidly between 1820-1910 with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, bringing jobs and consequently people into the county. The county’s population reached its peak population of 26,281 in 1910. Population began an uneven decline, rebounding slightly in 1980 and 2000.

A large portion of the county’s population is between the ages of 40-64 years. The median age of the county is 44.2 years, which is older than the state’s median age of 39.1 years. The lack of bulge in the pyramid between the ages of 0 and 19 could indicate future population loss.

Nearly one-quarter of Palestine’s population is over 65 years. Flat Rock and Stoy have the highest percentage of younger residents, which could indicate population growth in the future.

Crawford County’s racial composition is predominantly white with 4.5% identifying as two or more races.

The median household income in Crawford County is $54,942, with an unemployment rate of 3.0%. Over one quarter of Hutsonville’s population lives below the poverty line. Flat Rock has the largest percentage of people without health insurance at nearly 8%.

Over 89% of Crawford County residents have attained at least a high school graduate level education and more than half of residents have had some college education. Robinson and Stoy have the largest percentage of people without a high school diploma.

Over one-third of housing in Crawford County is located in Robinson. Oblong and Robinson have the highest percentage of rental properties. Mobile home occupancy is highest in Stoy, and over 10% in Flat Rock, Hutsonville, and Oblong. The median rent in Crawford County is $680, which is below the Illinois median rent of $1,097. The percentage of households without vehicle access is highest in Hutsonville at 10.6%.

Industry in Crawford County is dominated by manufacturing, followed by educational services and health care. Combined, these industries employ nearly half of Crawford County's population.

Hershey Chocolate USA and Marathon Petroleum are the largest employers in the county, employing 1,400 people combined. The largest eight employers are all located in Robinson.

Crawford County lies in the corn belt region and corn and soybeans dominate most of its land area (Figure 12). Roughly 77.3% of the total land in Crawford County is used for farmland. Approximately 88% of the farmed lands are used for cropland, 2% for pastureland, 7% for woodland, and 3% for other.

The average number of farms increased in this region by 7% since 2017 while the average sizes increased by 7%. Overall farmed lands have decreased and now make up just over 77% of Crawford County’s land cover.