McLeansboro, Illinois

McLeansboro is a city in Hamilton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,675 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County.

McLeansboro is part of the Mount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, McLeansboro has a total area of 2.87 sqmi, of which 2.74 sqmi (or 95.48%) is land and 0.13 sqmi (or 4.52%) is water.

History
The city was named for Dr. William McLean, an early settler who had resided there in 1821.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 2,675 people, 1,114 households, and 661 families residing in the city. The population density was 930.76 PD/sqmi. There were 1,365 housing units at an average density of 474.95 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.02% White, 0.97% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 3.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.

There were 1,114 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.99% were married couples living together, 11.04% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.66% were non-families. 32.05% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.97% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 2.19.

The city's age distribution consisted of 19.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $55,714, and the median income for a family was $61,652. Males had a median income of $52,548 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,621. About 11.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Elwood Barker, businessman, farmer, and Illinois state legislator
 * Ray Blades, baseball player.
 * Paul W. Broyles, businessman and Illinois state legislator
 * Jim Burns, former U. S. Attorney, Inspector General for the Illinois Secretary of State from 2000 until 2020
 * M. J. Engh, science-fiction author and Roman scholar
 * Carl Mauck, former center for the Houston Oilers and National Football League coach
 * Rodney K. Miller, television host for Small Town Big Deal
 * Jerry Sloan, Basketball Hall of Famer, player and head coach for the Chicago Bulls and head coach of the Utah Jazz
 * H. Allen Smith, author
 * John H. Stelle, lieutenant governor 1937–40, 29th Governor of Illinois 1940-41, National Commander of the American Legion 1945-46
 * Henry C. Warmoth, 23rd Governor of Louisiana