Rock Island County is a
county located in the U.S. state of Illinois
. As
of 2000, the population was 149,374. A 2008 estimate shows a slight
decline in population to 146,886.
Its
county seat is Rock
Island
, Illinois
.
It is one
of the four counties that make up the Davenport
-Moline
-Rock
Island
Metropolitan
Statistical Area
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total
area of 451
square miles
(1,168
km²), of which 427 square
miles (1,105 km²) is land and 24 square miles
(63 km²) (5.41%) is water.
Major highways
Townships
Andalusia, Blackhawk, Bowling, Buffalo Prairie, Canoe Creek, Coal
Valley, Coe, Cordova, Drury, Edgington, Hampton, Moline, Port
Byron, Rock Island, Rural, South Moline, South Rock Island,
Zuma
Adjacent counties
History
Rock
Island County was formed in 1831 out of Jo Daviess
County
. It was named for Rock Island, an island in
the
Mississippi River now known as
Arsenal Island.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 149,374
people, 60,712 households, and 39,159 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 350 people per square mile (135/km²). There were 64,489 housing
units at an average density of 151 per square mile (58/km²).
The racial makeup of the county was 85.52%
White, 7.54%
Black or
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 1.02%
Asian American, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 3.76% from
other races, and 1.86%
from two or more races. 8.56% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
23.1% were of
German, 10.3% Irish, 8.4% American
, 7.2% English, 6.6%
Swedish and 5.5% Belgian
ancestry according to Census
2000.
There were 60,712 households out of which 28.90% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were
married couples living together, 11.60% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were
non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals
and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family
size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the
age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from
45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,608, and
the median income for a family was $47,956. Males had a median
income of $35,998 versus $24,234 for females. The
per capita income for the county was
$20,164. About 8.10% of families and 10.70% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including
15.70% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or
over.
Cities and towns
Townships
Rock Island County is divided into these eighteen
townships:
See also
References
- Rock Island, the island, History: Introduction
External links