Wabash County Profile

Wabash County is located in rural southeast Illinois. The county is part of the Greater Wabash region, which is made up of seven counties: Crawford, Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and White County. Founded in 1824, Wabash County was carved out of neighboring Edwards County to avoid conflict when the county seat was moved from Mount Carmel to Albion. Mount Carmel is the current county seat of Wabash County. The county gets its name from the Wabash River which forms its eastern border. At 228 square miles, Wabash County is one of the smallest counties in Illinois, with four municipalities and eight townships.

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

The elevation in the county is highest in the central and northern parts of the county west of Allendale, and lowest along the Wabash River and Bonpas Creek. and southeastern part of the county. The hydrologic features of the county define many of the lowest elevation areas. Mount Carmel, located in the east-central part of the county, lies at a low elevation due to bordering the Wabash River and Greathouse Creek.

Wabash County is in one watershed - the Lower Wabash Watershed - and borders two others in Indiana. 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 Wabash River and Bonpas Creek.

Wabash County is home to the Wabash River, Bonpas Creek, and many other small where fishing and boating are popular. The county is also home to Beall Woods State Park, one of the few places where virgin timber can be seen east of the Mississippi River. Deciduous trees more than 3 feet in diameter and 120 feet tall can be seen in the park, which is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Natural areas in the county are home to a variety of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, opossums, bullfrogs, black rat snakes, and pileated woodpeckers. As of April 2023, Wabash County has 20 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. Wabash 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 48.73 inches; average annual snowfall is 8.9 inches.

Wabash County has a population of 11,807 and a population density of 52.9 inhabitants per square mile according to the 2022 U.S. Census population estimates. Between 2010 and 2020, Wabash County’s population decreased by 4.9%. Keensburg and Bellmont have experienced the most significant decrease in population. Overall, over 1,000 people have left Wabash County over the last two decades.

Wabash County's population grew rapidly between 1830-1910 with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, bringing jobs and consequently people into the county. The county’s population reached its peak population of 14,913 in 1910. Population began an uneven decline, rebounding slightly in 1950. Since 1980, Wabash County has been steadily losing population.

A large portion of the county’s population is between the ages of 55-69 years. The median age of the county is 43.8 years, which is older than the state’s median age of 39.1 years. The small bulge in the pyramid between the ages of 0 and 19 could indicate future population growth.

Bellmont has the largest percentage of older residents at 28%. Over 20% of the population in Allendale, Bellmont, and Mount Carmel is under 18 years old, which could lead to future population growth. Keensburg has the smallest percentage of younger residents, which could indicate future population loss.

Wabash County’s racial composition is predominantly white with 3.5% identifying as two or more races and 3.0% identifying as Hispanic/Latino.

The median household income in Wabash County is $49,680, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. Over one quarter of Bellmont’s population lives below the poverty line, the highest in the county. Over 93% of the population in every jurisdiction have health insurance.

Over 90% of Wabash County residents have attained at least a high school graduate level education and more than half of residents have had some college education. Allendale has the larges percentage of people with an associate’s degree; Wabash County and Mount Carmel have the largest percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree.

Mount Carmel accounts for 63% of all housing units in the county. One-quarter of the housing stock in Bellmont and Mount Carmel is renter occupied. Mobile home occupancy is above 25% in every incorporated area except for Mount Carmel. The median rent in Wabash County is $670, which is below the Illinois median rent of $1,097. The percentage of households without vehicle access is highest in Mount Carmel at 13.3%.

Industry in Wabash County is dominated by educational services and healthcare, accounting for 28% of employment in the county. Manufacturing, retail trade, agriculture, and construction follow as the next largest employment sectors, combining to employ 54% of Wabash County residents.

Wabash General Hospital is the largest employer in the county, employing 350 people. Motorad, a manufacturing company, is the only other company in the county that employs over 100 people. Of the top ten employers in the county, nine are located in Mount Carmel

Eight percent of Wabash County residents work in agriculture. Wabash County lies in the corn belt region and corn and soybeans dominate most of its land area. Approximately 79% of the total land in Wabash County is used for farmland. Of this farmland, 91% is used for cropland, 1% for pastureland, 4% for woodland, and 4% for other. [INSERT IMAGE]

The number of farms decreased by 2% since 2012, while the total area of land farmed and average farm size increased by 8% and 11%, respectively. This indicates farm consolidation in Wabash County.