Jefferson County Demographics (960 KB)

General Overview:

Geography: Jefferson County is located in the heart of Southern Illinois at the junction of Interstates 57 and 64. It is one hour east of St. Louis, MO, One hour west of Evansville, IN, Ninety minutes north of Paducah, KY and two hours south of Champaign, IL. Mount Vernon is the largest city in Jefferson County. The area of the county is 584 square miles. Latitude 38.417N, Longitude -88.903; Elevation 512 feet.

Transportation: The intersection of Interstate Highways 57 and 64 with a Daily Traffic Count of 37,700 vehicles, makes this the economic driver for the area. There are three Class 1 railroads and the Mt. Vernon Airport to complement the transportation industry. Although the airport does not have commercial flights, its runways and facility are exceptional and quite adequate for carrier services and private jet landing, refueling, and charter flights.

General Economic Makeup: The Jefferson County area is home to three of the largest employers in Southern Illinois. Continental Tire the Americas is the largest employing 2,500. Walgreens Distribution Center, which opened in 1990, employs 1,500, and the Good Samaritan Regional Health Center has 930 employees.

The employee base for business is regional and is drawn from seven surrounding counties. The economic strength, stability, and growth of Jefferson County has significant impact on the Southern Illinois region.

Jefferson County's population is 40,045 (2000 Census) which is an 8% increase from the 1990 census. The population is projected to grow to 40,822 by 2012.