Jersey County is located in southwestern Illinois, along the Mississippi River and just north of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Established in 1839 and named for Jersey Island in the Mississippi, the county developed as part of the region’s river-based trade and agricultural hinterland. It is small in population, with roughly 21,000 residents, and remains predominantly rural in character. The landscape includes Mississippi River bluffs, bottomlands, and mixed farmland and woodland, with scenic river corridors shaping settlement patterns and land use. Agriculture and related agribusiness activities form a core part of the local economy, alongside small manufacturing, services, and commuting ties to nearby urban centers. Community life is anchored by small towns and unincorporated areas, with cultural connections to the wider “Riverbend” region of west-central and southwestern Illinois. The county seat is Jerseyville.

Jersey County Local Demographic Profile

Jersey County is a county in southwestern Illinois, situated along the Mississippi River north of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The county seat is Jerseyville; for local government and planning resources, visit the Jersey County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile for Jersey County, Illinois, Jersey County had:

  • Population (2020): 21,512
  • Population (2023 estimate): 20,921

Age & Gender

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile for Jersey County, Illinois:

  • Persons under 18 years: 22.0%
  • Persons 65 years and over: 19.8%
  • Female persons: 50.2%
    (QuickFacts provides sex shares; it does not present a single “male-to-female ratio” value.)

Racial & Ethnic Composition

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile for Jersey County, Illinois (latest available for each line item):

  • White alone: 94.8%
  • Black or African American alone: 1.0%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
  • Asian alone: 0.3%
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%
  • Two or more races: 3.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.7%

Household & Housing Data

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts profile for Jersey County, Illinois:

  • Households (2018–2022): 8,586
  • Persons per household (2018–2022): 2.46
  • Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2018–2022): 77.0%
  • Median value of owner-occupied housing units (2018–2022): $146,800
  • Median gross rent (2018–2022): $767
  • Housing units (2023): 9,581
  • Building permits (2023): 11

Email Usage

Jersey County, Illinois is largely rural, with population spread across small communities and farmland; lower density typically raises last‑mile network costs and can limit at‑home connectivity, shaping reliance on email for school, work, and services.

Direct county-level email usage statistics are not generally published, so broadband and device adoption are used as proxies for email access and regular use. The U.S. Census Bureau (ACS) tables on internet subscriptions and computer ownership provide indicators of households with broadband subscriptions and computing devices, which closely track practical email access. Age structure also influences adoption: older populations tend to have lower rates of routine digital communication. County age distributions are available via ACS demographic profiles, which can be used to assess whether the county skews older relative to the state or U.S.

Gender distribution is generally less predictive of email adoption than age and connectivity; county sex composition is available in ACS profiles.

Connectivity constraints are reflected in fixed-broadband availability and competition; service coverage can be reviewed using the FCC National Broadband Map.

Mobile Phone Usage

Jersey County is in west-central Illinois along the Mississippi River, immediately north of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The county is predominantly rural with small cities and towns (notably Jerseyville) separated by agricultural land, river bluffs, and low-density road networks. These characteristics—low population density, rolling terrain along the river corridor, and distance from dense urban tower grids—tend to produce more variable mobile signal quality than in major metros, particularly indoors and outside town centers.

Network availability (coverage and service footprint)

4G LTE

4G LTE is broadly present across most inhabited parts of Illinois, and Jersey County is generally served by multiple nationwide carriers, but countywide coverage quality varies by location (towns vs. river bluffs vs. open farmland) and by carrier. The most direct public way to view carrier-reported LTE coverage at local scale is the FCC’s map:

Limitations: FCC mobile layers represent modeled and provider-submitted coverage rather than measured reception at every point, and they do not directly report indoor coverage or congestion.

5G (availability and likely pattern)

5G availability in rural Illinois typically appears first in/near population centers and along major transportation corridors, with more limited reach in sparsely populated areas. In Jersey County, 5G presence is best verified using provider and FCC map layers rather than assumed countywide.

Public references for 5G availability include:

Important distinction: 5G “availability” on coverage maps indicates where a provider expects service outdoors; it does not indicate that most households subscribe to 5G plans or own 5G-capable devices.

Service performance and congestion

County-level performance metrics for mobile broadband (speed/latency variability, congestion by time of day) are not consistently published as official statistics for Jersey County. The FCC map supports challenge processes and location-based checking, but does not substitute for systematic countywide drive testing.

Household adoption and mobile access indicators (use vs. availability)

Network availability describes where service could work; adoption describes whether residents subscribe and rely on it.

Household internet subscription and “cellular data plan only”

The most comparable public indicators for household internet adoption come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), which reports household internet subscription types including “cellular data plan” and “cellular data plan only” (households that rely on mobile broadband without a fixed home subscription). These are typically available at the county level (1-year in larger geographies; 5-year in most counties).

Primary sources:

Limitations: ACS household internet measures do not directly measure “mobile phone ownership” or “smartphone ownership” as a standalone county series; they measure subscription types and devices/connection categories as reported by households.

Mobile phone ownership / smartphone penetration

County-level smartphone ownership statistics are not consistently produced as official government series. Many smartphone penetration figures are produced by commercial surveys and are usually reported at national or broad regional levels rather than for an individual county like Jersey County.

A practical proxy at county level is:

  • The share of households with a cellular data plan and those with cellular-only internet, via ACS on data.census.gov.

Mobile internet usage patterns (how mobile is used)

Mobile-only vs. mixed connectivity

In rural counties, mobile broadband often complements fixed broadband, especially where wired options are limited outside towns. The most relevant measurable pattern is the ACS estimate of households that have:

  • Fixed broadband (cable, fiber, DSL) and also use mobile, versus
  • Cellular data plan only (mobile as the sole household internet subscription)

Those patterns for Jersey County can be obtained from ACS subscription tables on data.census.gov, with attention to margins of error (MOE) that can be sizable for smaller counties.

4G vs. 5G usage

Publicly available data generally describes availability (coverage layers) rather than actual usage share by generation (percentage of traffic on LTE vs. 5G) at the county level. Device capabilities and plan types also influence whether residents actually use 5G where it is available.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

County-specific device-type distributions (smartphone vs. basic phone vs. tablet/hotspot) are not routinely published as official statistics for Jersey County. The most defensible, publicly available device-related indicators at county scale are indirect:

  • ACS household internet access measures (e.g., broadband subscription types and cellular-only households) on data.census.gov
  • FCC availability data for mobile broadband on the National Broadband Map

Limitations: These sources do not enumerate “smartphones” as a device category in a way that yields a clean county smartphone share, and they do not identify the prevalence of dedicated mobile hotspots or fixed wireless customer premises equipment used as home internet.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in Jersey County

Rural settlement pattern and population density

Lower-density areas tend to have fewer towers per square mile and larger cell sizes, increasing the likelihood of:

  • Weaker signals at the edges of cells
  • Reduced indoor reception in some structures
  • Greater performance variability during peak times due to fewer nearby cell sites

Population and housing patterns used for contextualizing demand are available from:

Terrain and land cover

The Mississippi River valley and associated bluffs can affect line-of-sight propagation, and wooded or irregular terrain can reduce signal strength compared with flat open areas. These effects are location-specific and vary by tower placement and frequency band.

Proximity to the St. Louis region

The county’s southern portion is closer to the St. Louis metro area, which generally has denser network infrastructure. Connectivity often becomes more variable farther from metro-adjacent corridors and town centers, but publicly available countywide measurements separating “metro-adjacent vs. interior county” are limited.

Public sources for verification and county-specific lookup

Summary: availability vs. adoption (clear distinction)

  • Network availability: Best represented by modeled/provider-submitted coverage (LTE/5G) on the FCC National Broadband Map. This indicates where service is expected to work outdoors and does not measure household subscriptions or device ownership.
  • Household adoption: Best represented by ACS household internet subscription categories (including “cellular data plan” and “cellular data plan only”) via data.census.gov. This reflects what households report subscribing to, not the strength of signal at each location.

County-specific figures for smartphone ownership, device mix, and 4G-versus-5G traffic share are not available as standardized public statistics for Jersey County; the most defensible county-level indicators are FCC availability layers (coverage) and ACS subscription categories (adoption), with explicit attention to ACS margins of error for smaller geographies.

Social Media Trends

Jersey County is in southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River, with Jerseyville as the county seat and primary population center. The county’s largely rural/small‑town settlement pattern, commuter ties into the St. Louis metro area, and a local economy oriented around services, agriculture, and small businesses shape social media use toward mainstream, mobile-first platforms that support local news, community groups, and marketplace activity.

User statistics (county-level context and best-available local proxy)

  • Direct, county-specific social media penetration figures are not published in major U.S. surveys, so Jersey County usage is typically contextualized using national and state-level benchmarks.
  • U.S. adult baseline: Approximately 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site (Pew Research Center). Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
  • Local interpretation for Jersey County: As a predominantly non-urban county, overall social media participation commonly tracks the national adult average but with comparatively higher reliance on Facebook and lower adoption of newer, video-first or highly urban-skewed networks (pattern consistent with Pew’s urban/suburban/rural comparisons across platforms).

Age group trends (U.S. benchmarks commonly applied to local planning)

Pew reports strong age gradients in platform usage (U.S. adults):

  • 18–29: Highest overall usage across most platforms; especially strong on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok.
  • 30–49: High usage; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram remain prominent.
  • 50–64: Substantial usage; Facebook and YouTube dominate.
  • 65+: Lowest usage overall, but Facebook and YouTube remain the leading platforms among users. Source: Pew Research Center platform-by-age tables.

Gender breakdown (U.S. benchmarks)

  • Platform use differs modestly by gender in Pew’s findings, with women generally more likely than men to use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and men often slightly more likely to use platforms like Reddit (where measured).
  • Overall “any social media use” shows smaller gender differences than age differences; gaps are more platform-specific than universal. Source: Pew Research Center platform-by-gender tables.

Most-used platforms (percentages from national survey data)

National adult usage rates (Pew; latest available in the fact sheet) commonly used as a planning baseline:

Likely Jersey County ordering (based on rural-county patterns and U.S. platform demographics):

  • Top reach: Facebook and YouTube (broad age coverage; strong community/news utility).
  • Younger-skewing reach: Instagram and TikTok (highest concentration under 50, especially under 30).
  • Professional/niche: LinkedIn (workforce and commuting ties), Pinterest (often higher among women), Snapchat (younger).

Behavioral trends (engagement and platform preferences)

  • Community information-seeking: In smaller counties, Facebook commonly functions as a “digital town square” via local groups, school/community pages, and event sharing; this aligns with national findings that social platforms are used for keeping up with community and news (see Pew’s broader internet and social research hub: Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology).
  • Video consumption as a default behavior: YouTube’s very high penetration supports how-to, local interest, entertainment, and news video use across age groups, with especially broad reach beyond the youngest cohorts (Pew platform adoption data).
  • Age-segmented engagement:
    • 18–29: Higher posting/messaging frequency and heavier use of short-form video and visual-first apps (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat).
    • 30–64: More mixed behavior—group participation, sharing, marketplace browsing, and local events on Facebook; video on YouTube; some Instagram use.
    • 65+: More passive consumption and family/community connection patterns, concentrated on Facebook and YouTube.
  • Platform preference by content type:
    • Local updates/events: Facebook
    • Instructional/interest content: YouTube
    • Lifestyle/visual discovery: Instagram, Pinterest
    • Short-form entertainment and trends: TikTok
  • Mobile-first usage: National survey work consistently shows smartphones as the primary access point for many social activities, reinforcing quick-check and notification-driven engagement patterns (context: Pew Research Center mobile fact sheet).

Family & Associates Records

Jersey County family-related public records are primarily maintained through county and state offices. Birth and death records are handled by the Jersey County Clerk (vital records and certified copies). Marriage records are typically recorded by the County Clerk; related divorce case files are maintained by the Jersey County Circuit Clerk (court records). Adoption records are generally filed within the circuit court system and are commonly subject to heightened confidentiality under Illinois practice.

Public database availability varies by record type. Court case information may be available through the Illinois eAccess system (Illinois Courts eAccess) where participating counties and case types are supported; detailed files and certified copies are typically obtained from the Circuit Clerk. Recorded land and related indexing for property and some civil filings are maintained by the Jersey County Recorder.

Access is provided in person at the relevant office for certified copies and for records not posted online. Online access is generally limited to indexes, docket information, and agency-provided portals; identity and eligibility requirements are standard for certified vital records.

Privacy restrictions commonly apply to adoption records, certain juvenile matters, and portions of vital records under state rules, with certified copies often limited to qualified requesters and requiring valid identification.

Marriage & Divorce Records

Types of records maintained

  • Marriage records (marriage licenses and certificates/returns)
    • Jersey County creates and maintains records of marriages licensed in the county, typically including the license application and the executed return (often treated as the county’s marriage record).
  • Divorce records (divorce case files and decrees/judgments)
    • Divorces are handled as civil court cases. The official record includes the judgment for dissolution of marriage (often called the divorce decree) and associated filings (petitions, orders, notices).
  • Annulments (declarations of invalidity of marriage)
    • In Illinois, annulments are handled through the circuit court as a civil proceeding for a declaration of invalidity of marriage. The court record typically includes the final judgment and related pleadings.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

  • Marriage licenses and county marriage records
    • Filed/kept by: Jersey County Clerk (county-level vital records function for marriages).
    • Access: Requests are typically handled through the County Clerk’s office. Certified copies are generally issued for legal purposes; non-certified copies may be available depending on local practice and record format.
  • Divorce and annulment court records
    • Filed/kept by: Jersey County Circuit Clerk (official custodian of circuit court case records, including dissolution and invalidity cases).
    • Access: Court case records are accessed through the Circuit Clerk’s records systems and office services. Certified copies of judgments/decrees are issued by the Circuit Clerk. Public access to filed documents may be provided in-office and through court record access systems used in Illinois, subject to confidentiality rules and sealing orders.
  • State-level index and certificates
    • Maintained by: Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Division of Vital Records.
    • Access: IDPH maintains statewide marriage and divorce record indexes/certificates for eligible years under Illinois law. Local certified copies of marriage records are typically obtained from the county where the marriage license was issued; divorce judgments are obtained from the circuit court that entered the judgment.

Typical information included in these records

  • Marriage license / marriage record (county)
    • Names of the parties
    • Date and place of marriage (and/or license issuance date and marriage date)
    • Ages or dates of birth (varies by era and form)
    • Residences/addresses (varies)
    • Names of parents and/or birthplaces (varies by period)
    • Officiant name/title and certification
    • Witnesses (when recorded)
    • Recording identifiers (license number, book/page or electronic record identifiers)
  • Divorce decree / judgment for dissolution (court)
    • Caption and case number; court and county
    • Names of parties and date of judgment
    • Findings and orders terminating the marriage
    • Terms addressing property division, maintenance (spousal support), child custody/allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time, child support, and related orders, where applicable
  • Annulment judgment / declaration of invalidity (court)
    • Caption and case number; court and county
    • Names of parties and date of judgment
    • Court findings and the declaration that the marriage is invalid under Illinois law
    • Orders concerning property, support, and children, where applicable

Privacy and legal restrictions

  • Marriage records
    • Generally treated as public records in Illinois, with certified copies issued by the County Clerk. Access to certain data elements may be restricted by statute or administrative policy (for example, redaction of sensitive identifiers on copies).
  • Divorce and annulment records
    • The existence of a case and the final judgment are generally public court records, but access to specific filings can be limited by:
      • Illinois Supreme Court rules on privacy and confidential information in court records, including required redaction of personal identifiers (such as Social Security numbers and certain financial account information).
      • Sealed or impounded records by court order (common in matters involving minors, sensitive allegations, or protected information).
      • Statutory confidentiality for specific categories of information (for example, certain child-related, mental health, or protected-address information may be restricted).
  • Certified copies and identification
    • Certified copies are issued for legal use and are subject to custodian policies and Illinois law governing vital records and court certification. Some records may be available only in non-certified form to the general public when certification is restricted by law or court order.

Education, Employment and Housing

Jersey County is in southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River, immediately north of the St. Louis metropolitan area and west of Macoupin County. The county seat is Jerseyville, and the county is largely rural with small towns and unincorporated communities. Population levels are relatively modest and have been broadly stable to slightly declining in recent decades, with an age profile typical of rural Midwestern counties (a comparatively large share of middle-aged and older adults).

Education Indicators

Public schools and school districts (names)

Jersey County’s public K–12 education is primarily delivered through a set of local districts serving Jerseyville and smaller communities. The main public districts and schools commonly associated with Jersey County include:

  • Jersey Community Unit School District 100 (Jerseyville)
    • Jersey Community High School
    • Jerseyville Middle School
    • Multiple elementary schools (district-operated)
  • Grafton Community Unit School District 2 (Grafton area)
    • Grafton Elementary School (grades vary by district configuration)
  • Community/area districts serving parts of the county (boundaries include rural areas and may extend across county lines)
    • Southwestern CUSD 9 (Piasa/Medora area)
    • Calhoun CUSD 40 and Brussels CUSD 42 may be relevant for nearby river communities depending on residence/school boundary

School counts and official school name lists change over time due to consolidations and grade reconfigurations. The most reliable current school roster is available via the Illinois State Board of Education’s district/school directory (see Illinois State Board of Education school directory).

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

  • Student–teacher ratios: Public school student–teacher ratios in rural Illinois counties commonly fall in the low-to-mid teens (students per teacher). District-specific ratios are published in state report cards; the authoritative source for Jersey County districts is the Illinois Report Card (search by district name).
  • Graduation rates: High school 4-year graduation rates for Illinois districts are reported annually on the Illinois Report Card. Jersey County’s primary high school (Jersey Community High School) is included with a published rate in the report card system; countywide graduation rates are not typically published as a single aggregate.

Adult education levels (highest attainment)

County-level adult attainment is reported by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). For the most current estimates used in public profiles, consult:

Typical rural-county patterns in this region include:

  • A majority of adults holding at least a high school diploma
  • A smaller share holding a bachelor’s degree or higher than Illinois statewide averages
    Exact percentages vary by ACS year and margin of error; the ACS/QuickFacts figures serve as the standard reference.

Notable academic and career programs (STEM, vocational, AP)

Program availability is district-specific and reported in district and school profiles rather than at the county level. Common offerings in similarly sized Illinois districts include:

  • Advanced Placement (AP) coursework at the comprehensive high school level
  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways (e.g., agriculture, industrial arts, health-related introductory pathways, business/IT)
  • Dual credit coursework through regional community colleges and partnerships
    The Illinois Report Card provides indicators for course offerings, postsecondary readiness metrics, and CTE participation where reported (Illinois Report Card).

School safety measures and counseling resources

Safety and student support services are typically managed at the district level and aligned with Illinois requirements (e.g., safety plans, emergency procedures, and student support staffing). Common measures in Illinois public schools include:

  • Controlled building access during instructional hours
  • Emergency operations planning (drills and coordination with local law enforcement/fire/EMS)
  • School-based counseling and social work services, with referral pathways to community providers
    District-specific staffing levels (such as counselor-to-student ratios) and safety plan details are not consistently published in a single countywide dataset; the best available public source is district report card staffing and district policy publications.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent)

The standard source for county unemployment rates is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), typically published monthly and annually. The most recent annual average unemployment rate for Jersey County is available through:

  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
    County unemployment in the St. Louis–adjacent rural counties generally tracks statewide cycles but can be slightly higher during downturns due to a smaller and less diversified employment base. The BLS LAUS tables provide the definitive latest figure.

Major industries and employment sectors

Jersey County’s employment base reflects a rural county adjacent to a major metro area. Common major sectors include:

  • Educational services and health care/social assistance (schools, clinics, long-term care)
  • Retail trade and accommodation/food services (local-serving businesses and tourism-related activity near the river)
  • Manufacturing and construction (often in small-to-mid-sized establishments, with some residents employed in regional plants outside the county)
  • Public administration (county and municipal government, public safety)
  • Agriculture (important for land use and output; employment share can be smaller than land footprint due to mechanization)

Sector shares and counts are available through ACS industry-of-employment tables and regional workforce products:

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational patterns in Jersey County generally include higher shares of:

  • Management, business, and financial (often tied to commuting to larger employment centers)
  • Sales and office
  • Production, transportation, and material moving
  • Construction and extraction
  • Education, training, and library / health care support and practitioners
    The most current distribution is reported via ACS occupation tables for county of residence (ACS occupation tables).

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

Given proximity to the St. Louis region and nearby Illinois employment centers (including Madison County), commuting commonly includes:

  • Out-commuting to adjacent counties for higher-wage or specialized jobs
  • In-county commuting concentrated around Jerseyville and principal road corridors
    Mean commute time is reported by ACS (county of residence). For the official estimate:
  • ACS commuting/travel time tables on data.census.gov
    Rural counties near metros often show moderate-to-long average commute times, reflecting cross-county travel to job centers.

Local employment versus out-of-county work

Jersey County functions partly as a residential county for workers employed in surrounding counties and the St. Louis labor market. The clearest public proxy measures are:

  • ACS “place of work” and commuting flow characteristics (county of residence vs. county of work)
  • Regional on-the-map style flow products, where available, for county commuting ties
    Authoritative commuting statistics and travel characteristics are accessible via ACS tables on data.census.gov. County-to-county commuting flows are also published through Census commuting datasets and LEHD-based tools in many geographies, though coverage varies by product year.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Jersey County’s housing profile is typical of rural Illinois counties:

Median property values and recent trends

Median owner-occupied home value is published by ACS and summarized in QuickFacts. Recent trends in many downstate/rural Illinois counties have included:

  • Moderate appreciation compared with major metro cores, with stronger increases during 2020–2022 and more mixed conditions thereafter
    For the official median value and its time-series context (by ACS year):
  • Census QuickFacts (median value)
  • ACS median value tables
    County-level “recent trend” measures based on sales can vary by data vendor; ACS provides the standard public median-value benchmark rather than transaction-based indices.

Typical rent prices

Gross median rent is reported by ACS (countywide). Jersey County’s rents are generally below Illinois statewide medians, reflecting smaller-town and rural cost structures. The official median gross rent is available via:

Types of housing

Housing stock is dominated by:

  • Single-family detached homes (largest share)
  • Manufactured housing in some rural and semi-rural areas
  • Small multifamily buildings and apartments, primarily in Jerseyville and other incorporated areas
    ACS provides structural type distributions (e.g., “1-unit detached,” “2–4 units,” “5+ units,” “mobile home”) on data.census.gov.

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools/amenities)

  • Jerseyville: Most concentrated access to schools, groceries, clinics, and local government services; housing includes older single-family neighborhoods and some apartment options near commercial corridors.
  • Smaller towns and river communities (e.g., Grafton area): Mix of older housing stock, tourism-oriented areas, and hillside/river-valley development patterns; amenities are more limited locally and rely on driving to Jerseyville or neighboring counties.
  • Unincorporated/rural areas: Larger lots, farm-adjacent residences, and scattered subdivisions; access to schools and services is primarily vehicle-dependent.

Property tax overview (average rate and typical homeowner cost)

Illinois property taxes are high relative to the U.S. average, and Jersey County’s effective burden is shaped by local taxing districts (schools, county, municipalities, special districts) and assessed value practices. Public, comparable measures include:

Because tax bills vary widely by municipality, school district, and assessed value, “typical homeowner cost” is most reliably represented by the county’s median real estate taxes paid from ACS rather than a single countywide millage rate.

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Other Counties in Illinois