McDonough County is located in west-central Illinois along the state’s western corridor, part of a predominantly agricultural region of the Midwest. Established in 1826 and named for Thomas Macdonough, a U.S. naval officer in the War of 1812, the county developed around farming communities and transportation links serving the Illinois River valley and surrounding prairie. McDonough County is small to mid-sized in population, with a total of roughly 30,000 residents. Its landscape is largely rural, characterized by gently rolling cropland, small towns, and dispersed farmsteads. The local economy is anchored by agriculture and related services, with additional employment in education and public-sector institutions; Western Illinois University in Macomb is a major regional presence. Cultural and civic life reflects a mix of university-centered activity and long-standing rural community traditions. The county seat is Macomb, the largest city and primary service center.

Mcdonough County Local Demographic Profile

Mcdonough County is in western Illinois in the Mississippi River Valley region, with Macomb as the county seat and largest population center. The county is part of a largely rural portion of the state, with demographic patterns influenced by Macomb’s role as a regional hub and college town.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for McDonough County, Illinois, the county had an estimated population of 29,430 (2023).

Age & Gender

County-level age and sex figures are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau through American Community Survey (ACS) profile tables; see the U.S. Census Bureau data.census.gov profile for McDonough County for the most current ACS “Age and Sex” distributions.

  • Age distribution: Reported in ACS profile tables (age groups and median age) on the county profile page cited above.
  • Gender ratio: Reported in ACS profile tables (male/female population counts and shares) on the same county profile page.

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and Hispanic/Latino origin composition for McDonough County is published in both QuickFacts and ACS profile tables.

Household & Housing Data

Household and housing characteristics are available through ACS profile tables and QuickFacts.

Email Usage

McDonough County is a largely rural west-central Illinois county anchored by Macomb; lower population density outside the city can increase last‑mile network costs and reduce provider options, shaping day‑to‑day digital communication.

Direct county-level email usage statistics are not routinely published, so email access trends are summarized using proxy indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov) and related federal broadband reporting. Key digital access indicators include the share of households with a computer and with a broadband internet subscription; higher broadband and device availability generally correspond to higher capacity for regular email use (including job, school, and government communications).

Age structure influences likely email adoption: counties with larger older-adult shares often show more reliance on traditional communication channels and lower uptake of newer messaging platforms, while working-age and college populations support routine email use (Macomb’s university presence is a relevant local factor). Gender distribution is typically close to parity in Census estimates and is less predictive of email access than age, income, and connectivity.

Infrastructure limitations are reflected in availability and performance constraints tracked in the FCC National Broadband Map, where rural areas commonly face fewer wired options and variable speeds.

Mobile Phone Usage

McDonough County is in west-central Illinois along the Mississippi River corridor region (nearest larger metros include the Quad Cities to the northwest and Peoria to the east). The county includes the city of Macomb (the county seat and home to Western Illinois University) and extensive agricultural land outside the main population centers. This settlement pattern—one primary town surrounded by low-density rural areas—commonly produces uneven mobile coverage outcomes: stronger indoor/outdoor signal levels near Macomb and transportation corridors, and more variable service quality in sparsely populated areas where fewer towers serve larger geographic footprints.

Key limitations of county-level measurement

County-specific “mobile penetration” is not consistently published as a single metric (for example, “percent of residents with a mobile subscription”) by a unified official source. County-level insight typically comes from:

  • National household surveys that can be filtered to geographies larger than a county (state, metro) more reliably than to a single county.
  • Modeled broadband availability datasets (coverage/availability), which measure where service is offered rather than whether residents subscribe.
  • General socioeconomic and settlement indicators that correlate with adoption but do not directly measure it.

Accordingly, the overview below clearly separates network availability (supply) from adoption/usage (demand) and cites standard public data sources where county-level views exist.

Network availability (coverage): 4G LTE and 5G

Primary public source for modeled coverage in McDonough County: the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Data Collection (BDC) and National Broadband Map.

  • 4G LTE: LTE is generally the baseline mobile layer across Illinois, including rural counties. In county geographies like McDonough, LTE availability is usually broad outdoors, with typical rural limitations involving indoor signal strength and capacity outside population centers. The FCC’s map provides location-based checks and provider-reported coverage polygons rather than a single “county percentage.”
    Source: FCC National Broadband Map

  • 5G (availability vs quality): The FCC map also displays 5G availability by provider and technology, but the dataset is designed to indicate where a provider reports service at specified minimum performance thresholds rather than guaranteeing consistent on-the-ground experience. In rural counties, 5G availability often appears first in towns and along major routes, with larger gaps in sparsely populated townships.
    Source: FCC National Broadband Map (mobile broadband layers)

  • Why coverage varies within the county (geographic drivers):

    • Population density and tower economics: Rural townships generally support fewer sites per square mile than Macomb and nearby corridors, affecting signal levels and capacity.
    • Terrain and vegetation: West-central Illinois is largely plains to gently rolling terrain; however, tree cover, building materials, and small elevation changes still influence indoor and edge-of-cell performance.
    • Backhaul and site spacing: Wider site spacing in rural areas can reduce consistent high-throughput performance even when “available” coverage is present on maps.

State reference on broadband/mobile context: Illinois’ statewide broadband planning materials provide contextual information on unserved/underserved areas and infrastructure initiatives, though much of the published emphasis is on fixed broadband.
Source: Illinois Office of Broadband (Connect Illinois)

Household adoption and mobile access indicators (actual use, not just availability)

Network availability does not equal adoption. Adoption is influenced by price, income, digital skills, device ownership, and whether households rely on mobile service as their primary internet connection.

County-level, directly reported indicators most commonly available through federal surveys include:

  • Household internet subscription type and device availability (survey-based): The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) includes tables on:

    • Whether a household has an internet subscription
    • Whether the subscription is cellular data only (mobile-only)
    • Whether households have computing devices (smartphones, tablets, computers)

    These are among the most direct “mobile access” indicators available from an official statistical survey framework, though margins of error can be substantial in smaller geographies.
    Source: Census.gov (data.census.gov)

  • Interpreting ACS at county scale: McDonough County estimates can be retrieved in data.census.gov for “Internet Subscriptions in Household” and “Computers and Internet Use” tables. The ACS measures household adoption, not coverage, and captures mobile-only households (cellular data plan without another subscription) as a meaningful indicator of reliance on mobile connectivity.

Mobile internet usage patterns (mobile-only use, 4G/5G use)

County-specific “usage patterns” (time spent, app categories, throughput) are not typically published in open government datasets. What is generally measurable at county level from official sources is:

  • Whether households subscribe to cellular data as their internet service (mobile-only or mobile-included). This is an adoption indicator rather than a technology indicator (it does not specify 4G vs 5G use).
  • Where 4G/5G are reported as available (FCC BDC). This is availability rather than adoption.

For McDonough County, the most defensible split is:

  • Availability: Consult FCC BDC mobile layers for LTE and 5G footprints by provider.
    Source: FCC National Broadband Map
  • Adoption: Consult ACS internet subscription tables for the share of households using cellular data plans, with or without fixed subscriptions.
    Source: Census.gov

Common device types (smartphones vs other devices)

Direct county-level device-type prevalence is most consistently captured through ACS “computers and internet use” tables, which distinguish:

  • Smartphone
  • Tablet or other portable wireless computer
  • Desktop/laptop
  • Other/none (depending on table year/structure)

These device indicators reflect household access to devices, not necessarily individual ownership. In counties with a large student presence (Macomb/Western Illinois University), smartphone access is typically widespread, and households may show higher rates of portable-device availability compared with purely rural counties, though the ACS should be used for the specific county estimate rather than inference.
Source for device tables: Census.gov (ACS “Computers and Internet Use”)

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in McDonough County

The following factors are measurable through standard public datasets and are commonly associated with differences in mobile adoption and reliance:

  • Rural–urban split and settlement pattern: Macomb functions as the primary population center, with surrounding low-density rural communities. Rural households often face fewer fixed broadband options, which can increase reliance on cellular data plans where coverage is adequate. This relationship must be validated through ACS cellular-data subscription counts rather than assumed.
    Population and housing characteristics: Census.gov

  • Student population effects (Macomb): University communities tend to have higher smartphone ownership and heavy mobile data usage, but also substantial reliance on campus or apartment fixed Wi‑Fi. County-level adoption measures can blend campus-centered patterns with rural township patterns, making sub-county differences important but not consistently available from federal surveys.

  • Income and age distribution: Lower-income households are more likely to be “mobile-only” due to cost barriers to fixed broadband, and older populations can have lower adoption rates for newer devices and services. These relationships are well established in national research, but county-specific values should be taken from ACS income/age and ACS internet subscription tables rather than generalized.
    Income and age: Census.gov

  • Housing and building characteristics: Building materials and housing density influence indoor coverage and the practical need for indoor signal solutions (e.g., Wi‑Fi calling). These effects are operationally important but are not directly quantified in county-level public mobile datasets.

Distinguishing availability from adoption (summary)

  • Network availability (supply): Provider-reported LTE and 5G coverage footprints and minimum performance thresholds are published via the FCC BDC and visualized on the National Broadband Map. This indicates where service is offered, not whether households subscribe or experience consistent performance.
    Source: FCC National Broadband Map

  • Household adoption and device access (demand): The ACS provides county-level estimates for internet subscription types (including cellular data plans) and device availability (including smartphones). These describe actual household access and reliance, with sampling uncertainty that should be checked via margins of error.
    Source: Census.gov

Local and state context resources

Social Media Trends

McDonough County is in west‑central Illinois along the Interstate 74 corridor, with Macomb as the county seat and largest city and home to Western Illinois University. The county’s mix of a college‑anchored population in Macomb and more rural communities in the surrounding area tends to produce a split pattern of social media use: higher multi‑platform adoption among younger adults (especially students) alongside more Facebook‑centric use among older residents. County‑specific social media penetration is not published in standard federal statistical series; the most defensible way to describe usage in McDonough County is to anchor it to Illinois and U.S. benchmarks from large, representative surveys.

User statistics (penetration/active use)

  • Overall social media use (U.S. adults): ~7 in 10 report using at least one social media site, based on ongoing national tracking by the Pew Research Center’s Social Media Fact Sheet. McDonough County is generally expected to track close to this level, with local variation driven by age, education, and rurality.
  • Smartphone access (a key enabler of social media): Nationally high and strongly age‑graded; Pew’s Mobile Fact Sheet summarizes U.S. adoption patterns that typically translate into higher social platform activity where smartphone ownership is higher.

Age group trends (who uses social media most)

Based on the Pew social media benchmark patterns (Pew Research Center):

  • Highest use: Ages 18–29 (consistently the most likely to use multiple platforms; strongest presence on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok).
  • Next highest: Ages 30–49 (broad adoption; commonly split across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, with growing TikTok use).
  • Lower but substantial: Ages 50–64 (Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram usage is lower).
  • Lowest: Ages 65+ (Facebook remains the main platform; other platform usage drops sharply). Local context: Macomb’s university population increases the county share of residents in the highest‑use cohorts relative to many rural counties, while outlying townships align more closely with older, Facebook‑centered patterns.

Gender breakdown

Representative, platform‑level gender skews documented by Pew (Social Media Fact Sheet) generally apply in Illinois counties:

  • Women more likely than men to use several “social networking” platforms (commonly including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest).
  • Men tend to be more represented on some discussion- or news‑adjacent platforms (commonly including Reddit) and in certain content categories on YouTube.
  • TikTok and Snapchat show smaller or mixed gender differences compared with strongly skewed platforms like Pinterest. McDonough County’s gender pattern is typically driven by the same factors as elsewhere: age distribution, student population, and household composition.

Most‑used platforms (benchmarks with published percentages)

Pew publishes U.S. adult usage estimates by platform (used here as the most reliable proxy for county‑level ordering; exact county shares are not published in standard datasets):

  • YouTube: among the highest‑reach platforms nationally (often used across nearly all age groups).
  • Facebook: broad reach; strongest among 30+ and especially 50+.
  • Instagram: concentrated among 18–29 and 30–49.
  • TikTok: concentrated among 18–29, with growth in 30–49.
  • Snapchat: heavily concentrated among 18–29.
  • X (formerly Twitter), Reddit: smaller overall reach, more concentrated among younger adults and certain interest communities.
    Source: Pew Research Center platform usage estimates (regularly updated).

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns and preferences)

  • Age‑split platform roles: Older adults disproportionately use Facebook for community news, local groups, events, and marketplace activity; younger adults disproportionately use Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat for entertainment, peer networks, and short‑form video consumption (Pew platform patterns: Pew social media benchmarks).
  • Video‑heavy engagement: YouTube and TikTok reflect the broader shift toward video as a primary content format, with YouTube functioning both as social video and a search/learning tool across age groups (Pew: platform reach and demographics).
  • Community information flow: In counties with a mix of small towns and rural areas, Facebook groups and pages commonly serve as an informal “community bulletin board,” which aligns with Facebook’s older‑skewing user base and local‑information behavior documented in national research on social/news use (see Pew’s research hub for social media and society).
  • Multi‑platform stacking among younger residents: College‑age and early‑career adults more frequently maintain accounts on multiple platforms and switch between them based on content type (short video, messaging, events), a pattern consistent with Pew’s age‑tiered adoption profiles.

Note on local precision: McDonough County–specific penetration, platform shares, and gender splits are not typically released in publicly accessible, methodologically comparable datasets. The figures and rankings above rely on large, representative benchmarks from Pew Research Center and are most appropriate for describing expected usage patterns in McDonough County given its age mix and university‑centered population.

Family & Associates Records

McDonough County family-related records are primarily administered through the county clerk and Illinois state agencies. The McDonough County Clerk maintains vital records locally, commonly including certified copies of birth and death certificates and related vital record amendments, subject to Illinois identification and eligibility requirements. Official office information and request details are posted by the McDonough County Clerk.

Marriage records are also handled by the county clerk, including marriage licenses and certified copies of marriage records; procedural information is typically published on the clerk’s site and county government pages.

Adoption records are generally restricted under Illinois law and are not treated as open public records at the county level; access is commonly managed through state processes. Illinois vital records governance and statewide ordering options are provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) – Vital Records.

Publicly searchable databases for family records are limited; certified vital records usually require a formal request. For associate-related public records, McDonough County provides access to property and tax-related records through the McDonough County, IL Public Records Search (county portal), which includes recorded documents and related indexing.

Privacy restrictions are common for vital records, particularly for recent birth records, adoption matters, and records involving juveniles; access is governed by state statute and agency policy.

Marriage & Divorce Records

Types of records available

  • Marriage license and marriage certificate records

    • McDonough County maintains records related to the issuance of marriage licenses and the recording of marriages performed in the county.
    • Older records may exist as bound volumes, card indexes, or microfilm/digital images, depending on the time period and the office’s retention and conversion practices.

  • Divorce records

    • Divorce decrees/judgments are court records created as part of dissolution of marriage cases filed in McDonough County.
    • Associated case records commonly include pleadings (petition/complaint), summons and service returns, motions, orders, and the final judgment.

  • Annulment records

    • Annulments (typically filed as a court action seeking a declaration that a marriage is invalid) are maintained as court case records, similar in structure to divorce case files, with an order or judgment as the final disposition.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

  • Marriage records (license/record of marriage)

    • Filed/maintained by: the McDonough County Clerk (county-level vital record function for marriages).
    • Access methods commonly used:
      • In-person requests through the County Clerk’s office for certified or uncertified copies, subject to identification and eligibility rules set by the office and state law.
      • Some older marriage indexes/records may also be accessible through public archival or genealogy resources, but the county clerk remains the authoritative source for certified copies.

  • Divorce and annulment court records

    • Filed/maintained by: the McDonough County Circuit Court Clerk (keeper of court case records).
    • Access methods commonly used:
      • Public access to case information and non-impounded documents through the Circuit Clerk’s records request processes and court public-access terminals where available.
      • Certified copies of final judgments/decrees are typically obtained from the Circuit Clerk.

  • State-level divorce verification (separate from court files)

    • Illinois maintains a statewide divorce verification index for certain years through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). This is distinct from the full case file and does not substitute for a court-certified decree.

Typical information included in these records

  • Marriage license/record of marriage

    • Full legal names of the parties
    • Date and place (city/county) of marriage
    • Date of license issuance and license number (or book/page reference in older volumes)
    • Officiant name/title and certification that the ceremony was performed
    • Parties’ ages or dates of birth (varies by era/form)
    • Residences/addresses at time of application (varies by era/form)
    • Parents’ names and birthplaces may appear on some historical forms (varies by era)

  • Divorce decree/judgment (dissolution of marriage)

    • Names of the parties and case number
    • Filing date and date of judgment
    • Grounds/basis under Illinois law (modern cases generally reflect “irreconcilable differences” under no-fault dissolution)
    • Orders regarding:
      • Division of property and allocation of debts
      • Maintenance (spousal support), if ordered
      • Parental responsibilities and parenting time (custody/visitation terminology varies by period; modern law uses “allocation of parental responsibilities”)
      • Child support and health insurance provisions, when applicable
    • Restoration of a former name, when granted

  • Annulment (judgment declaring invalidity)

    • Names of the parties, case number, and disposition date
    • Findings supporting invalidity under applicable Illinois statutes (varies by time period)
    • Orders addressing related issues (property, support, and parentage-related provisions when applicable), depending on the case

Privacy or legal restrictions

  • Marriage records

    • Marriage records are generally treated as public records in Illinois, but certified copies are typically issued only under county clerk procedures that may require identity verification and payment of statutory fees.
    • Some data elements may be withheld from publicly distributed copies depending on form content and office policy, particularly where sensitive identifiers appear.

  • Divorce and annulment records

    • Illinois court records are generally public, but access is limited for:
      • Impounded/sealed records by court order
      • Confidential information protected by statute or court rule (commonly including Social Security numbers, certain financial account numbers, and sensitive information involving minors)
      • Specific categories such as certain domestic relations-related evaluations, reports, or exhibits that courts restrict to protect privacy or safety
    • Certified copies of judgments are issued by the Circuit Clerk under court-record certification rules and fee schedules.

  • State-level vital records restrictions

    • Illinois treats birth and death records as restricted vital records; marriage records are generally more accessible, while divorce records are primarily maintained as court records, with the state’s role limited to verification indexes for certain periods rather than full decrees.

Education, Employment and Housing

McDonough County is in west‑central Illinois along the Iowa border, with Macomb as the county seat and principal population center. The county has a mix of a small city (Macomb), smaller towns and villages, and extensive rural farmland; Western Illinois University in Macomb is a major institutional presence that shapes local demographics (a comparatively large student/young‑adult population in parts of the county) and the rental housing market.

Education Indicators

Public school systems and schools (counts and names)

McDonough County’s public K‑12 education is provided primarily through these districts:

  • Macomb School District #185 (Macomb)
  • West Prairie CUSD #103 (Bushnell/Prairie City area)
  • Bushnell‑Prairie City CUSD #170
  • Spoon River Valley CUSD #4
  • West Central CUSD #235

A consolidated, authoritative school-by-school list is best verified through the Illinois State Board of Education “School Directory” (ISBE School Directory), which provides current school names, grade spans, enrollments, and administrative details. (School openings/closures and grade reconfigurations occur periodically; district rosters are the most stable unit for summary.)

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

  • Student–teacher ratios and district/school graduation rates are published at the school and district level in the Illinois School Report Card. The most current official metrics for each McDonough County public high school are available via the Illinois School Report Card (search by district/school name).
  • Countywide aggregates for student–teacher ratio and graduation rate are not consistently reported as a single county statistic; the standard proxy is to use the district/school values from the Illinois School Report Card and summarize them across the districts serving the county.

Adult educational attainment

Adult educational attainment is most consistently reported by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) at the county level. The county’s shares of adults with:

  • High school diploma (or equivalent)
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher
    are available in ACS “Educational Attainment” tables for McDonough County. The most widely used public interface for these county statistics is data.census.gov (search “McDonough County IL educational attainment” and use the most recent 5‑year ACS release for stable county estimates).

Notable programs (STEM, vocational, Advanced Placement)

  • Advanced Placement (AP), dual credit, career and technical education (CTE), and other program participation are reported at the high school level in the Illinois School Report Card.
  • Regional vocational/technical training in Illinois is commonly delivered through CTE pathways aligned with state career clusters; district-specific offerings (e.g., agriculture, health sciences, manufacturing/industrial technology, business/IT) vary by high school and are best documented in each district’s course catalog and the state report card program metrics.

School safety measures and counseling resources

  • Illinois public schools are subject to statewide requirements for emergency response planning, drills, and threat assessment procedures, and they report select climate/safety indicators through state systems. School-level indicators (where available) appear in the Illinois School Report Card.
  • Student support services, including school counseling and social work, are typically staffed at the district level and reflected in staffing and student-support reporting in state datasets; district websites and the state report card provide the most consistent documentation of staffing and student supports.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

The official source for county unemployment rates is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). The most recent annual and monthly unemployment rates for McDonough County are available through the BLS LAUS program (Illinois county series).
A single “most recent year” figure is not embedded here because LAUS updates monthly; the current annual average should be taken from the latest completed calendar year in the LAUS county tables.

Major industries and employment sectors

County employment is typically concentrated across:

  • Educational services (notably higher education in Macomb)
  • Health care and social assistance
  • Retail trade and accommodation/food services (often influenced by the university and regional service demand)
  • Manufacturing and construction (varies by year and employer mix)
  • Public administration
  • Agriculture in the rural parts of the county (farm employment is often undercounted in some wage-and-salary datasets due to self-employment and proprietor structure)

Industry composition can be verified using:

  • ACS “Industry by Occupation/Employment” tables via data.census.gov
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for wage-and-salary employment by industry via BLS QCEW

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational structure for residents (not jobs located in the county) is best measured with ACS occupational groups, typically showing broad employment across:

  • Management, business, science, and arts
  • Service occupations
  • Sales and office
  • Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
  • Production, transportation, and material moving
    The most recent county occupational distribution is available through data.census.gov (ACS Occupation tables).

Commuting patterns and mean commute time

  • Mean travel time to work and commute mode shares (drive alone, carpool, walk, public transit, work from home) are reported in ACS commuting tables for McDonough County via data.census.gov.
  • Typical patterns in a county like McDonough include a high share of commuting by personal vehicle, a notable walk/bike share concentrated near Western Illinois University and central Macomb, and measurable work‑from‑home participation in recent ACS releases.

Local employment versus out‑of‑county work

ACS “County‑to‑County Worker Flow” style tables and commuting geography measures provide the best proxy for where residents work relative to where they live. In McDonough County, a substantial portion of employment is local (Macomb as the primary job center), alongside out‑commuting to other West‑Central Illinois counties. The most current county commuting geography indicators are accessible through data.census.gov (commuting and workplace geography tables).

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership and rental share

Homeownership and rental occupancy are reported by the ACS “Tenure” tables for McDonough County via data.census.gov. The county typically shows:

  • A majority owner‑occupied housing stock overall (especially outside central Macomb and in small towns/rural areas)
  • A sizable renter share in Macomb, influenced by university-related demand and multi‑unit rentals

Median property values and recent trends

  • Median home value (owner‑occupied) for McDonough County is published in ACS housing value tables (most recent 5‑year ACS release) via data.census.gov.
  • Recent trend context: smaller Illinois micropolitan and rural counties have generally experienced post‑2020 increases in median values, with year‑to‑year volatility depending on sales volume. A county‑specific price trend is more accurately tracked with local sales data (e.g., assessor or MLS summaries), while ACS provides standardized median value estimates.

Typical rent prices

  • Median gross rent is reported in ACS rent tables for McDonough County via data.census.gov.
  • Rent levels often vary sharply between Macomb (higher share of apartments and student-oriented rentals) and smaller communities/rural areas (more single-family rentals, often lower median rents).

Housing types

Housing stock in McDonough County is typically composed of:

  • Single‑family detached homes (dominant in small towns and rural areas)
  • Apartments and multi‑unit buildings (concentrated in Macomb, especially near the university and major arterials)
  • Rural lots/farmsteads outside municipal boundaries
    ACS “Units in Structure” tables provide the county distribution by structure type via data.census.gov.

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools/amenities)

  • Macomb contains the highest concentration of amenities (hospital/clinics, retail corridors, parks, civic facilities) and the densest housing near campus; neighborhoods closer to Western Illinois University tend to have higher rental density and more multi‑unit properties.
  • Smaller towns (e.g., Bushnell, Industry, Colchester, Good Hope, Prairie City) generally feature lower-density residential patterns, with schools and community facilities serving as key local anchors.
  • Rural areas are characterized by dispersed housing and longer travel distances to schools, healthcare, and retail, with reliance on county and state routes.

Property tax overview (average rate and typical homeowner cost)

Illinois property taxes are administered locally and vary by taxing district; effective rates often differ materially between municipalities, school districts, and unincorporated areas.

  • The most authoritative county-level sources for property tax rates and bills are the McDonough County Supervisor of Assessments and McDonough County Treasurer (tax bill and rate information), available through the county’s official website: McDonough County Treasurer tax information (site sections typically include payment/tax bill lookup and explanatory material).
  • A standardized proxy for comparing average homeowner property tax burden is the ACS “Real Estate Taxes Paid” table (median/mean taxes on owner‑occupied housing), available via data.census.gov. This provides a typical annual property tax paid metric for owner‑occupied homes, though it does not substitute for parcel-level tax bills.

Data note (availability and proxies): For McDonough County, the most consistent “most recent” countywide measures for adult attainment, commuting, tenure, home value, rent, and taxes come from the latest ACS 5‑year release; the most consistent school safety/program and K‑12 performance measures come from the Illinois School Report Card; and the official unemployment rate comes from BLS LAUS (updated monthly).

Table of Contents

Other Counties in Illinois