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Rock Island County, Illinois facts for kids

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"Rock Island County" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Rock Island Township.
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Rock Island County
U.S. county
Rock Island County Justice Center
Rock Island County Justice Center
Official logo of Rock Island County
Logo
Map of Illinois highlighting Rock Island County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded 1831
Named for Rock (Arsenal) Island
Seat Rock Island
Largest city Moline
Area
 • Total 451 sq mi (1,170 km2)
 • Land 428 sq mi (1,110 km2)
 • Water 24 sq mi (60 km2)  5.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 144,672
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 141,236 Decrease
 • Density 320.8/sq mi (123.85/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 17th

Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 144,672. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring Moline. Rock Island County is one of the four counties that make up the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Rock Island County Illinois 1831
Rock Island County at the time of its creation in 1831

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. The Rock River (which the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples called Sinnissippi, meaning "rocky waters") flows from Whiteside County and points further east and north and joins the Mississippi River at Rock Island. The Sinnissippi Mounds, dating from the Hopewell period and on the National Register of Historic Places are upriver at Sterling in Whiteside County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 451 square miles (1,170 km2), of which 428 square miles (1,110 km2) is land and 24 square miles (62 km2) (5.2%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Rock Island, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.3
 
30
13
 
 
1.4
 
36
19
 
 
2.6
 
48
29
 
 
3.6
 
61
41
 
 
4.4
 
72
52
 
 
4.8
 
81
63
 
 
3
 
85
68
 
 
4.3
 
83
66
 
 
2.9
 
76
57
 
 
2.4
 
65
45
 
 
2.5
 
48
32
 
 
1.9
 
35
20
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
33
 
-1
-11
 
 
36
 
2
-7
 
 
66
 
9
-2
 
 
92
 
16
5
 
 
113
 
22
11
 
 
121
 
27
17
 
 
76
 
29
20
 
 
109
 
28
19
 
 
74
 
24
14
 
 
61
 
18
7
 
 
63
 
9
0
 
 
49
 
2
-7
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rock Island have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 2006. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.28 inches (33 mm) in January to 4.75 inches (121 mm) in June.

Major highways

Transit

  • Quad Cities MetroLINK
  • List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,610 —
1850 6,937 165.8%
1860 21,005 202.8%
1870 29,783 41.8%
1880 38,302 28.6%
1890 41,917 9.4%
1900 55,249 31.8%
1910 70,404 27.4%
1920 92,297 31.1%
1930 98,191 6.4%
1940 113,323 15.4%
1950 133,558 17.9%
1960 150,991 13.1%
1970 166,734 10.4%
1980 165,968 −0.5%
1990 148,723 −10.4%
2000 149,374 0.4%
2010 147,546 −1.2%
2020 144,672 −1.9%
2023 (est.) 141,236 −4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 147,546 people, 61,303 households, and 38,384 families residing in the county. The population density was 345.0 inhabitants per square mile (133.2/km2). There were 65,756 housing units at an average density of 153.8 per square mile (59.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.6% white, 9.0% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 4.4% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.9% were German, 14.2% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 6.8% were Swedish, and 5.2% were American.

Of the 61,303 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.4% were non-families, and 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 40.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,226 and the median income for a family was $58,962. Males had a median income of $42,548 versus $31,917 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,071. About 8.7% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

At one time Mississippi Valley Airlines had its headquarters in Quad City Airport in the county. John Deere is headquartered in Moline.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Rock Island County is divided into eighteen 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

Forts

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Rock Island para niños

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