Bond County is a county in Illinois, United States, roughly 45 miles east of St. Louis. It had a population of 16,725 at the 2020 census and covers 383 square miles (990 km2), of which 380 square miles (980 km2) are land, centred near 38°53′N 89°26′W.
Greenville is the county seat, and its postal code is 62246. The county has one incorporated city, eight incorporated villages, and several unincorporated communities spread across nine civil townships. Bond County sits in the Central time zone and forms part of the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Bond County
Bond County has one city, eight incorporated villages, and a handful of unincorporated crossroads communities. The table below marks each place’s status: City · seat for Greenville, Village for the incorporated places, and Unincorp. for communities with no municipal government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | City · seat | Central / Pleasant Mound | 7,083 | 62246 |
| Pocahontas | Village | Shoal Creek | — | 62275 |
| Mulberry Grove | Village | Mulberry Grove | — | 62262 |
| Sorento | Village | Lagrange | — | 62086 |
| Pierron | Village | Central | — | 62273 |
| Panama | Village | Mills | — | 62145 |
| Donnellson | Village | Burgess | — | 62019 |
| Keyesport | Village | Shoal Creek | — | 62253 |
| Smithboro | Village | Central | — | — |
| Old Ripley | Village | Old Ripley | — | — |
| Tamalco | Unincorp. | Tamalco | — | — |
| Pleasant Mound | Unincorp. | Pleasant Mound | — | — |
| Beaver Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dudleyville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Durley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hookdale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Reno | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stubblefield | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woburn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Old Ripley is small enough (population under 100) that some maps fold it into surrounding Old Ripley Township rather than showing it as a separate dot; the village and township share the same name. Keyesport, on the shore of Carlyle Lake, is sometimes listed twice in older directories as “Keyesport” and “Keyesport Landing” — they are the same place.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Central | — | Greenville (part), Pierron, Smithboro |
| Mulberry Grove | — | Mulberry Grove |
| Shoal Creek | — | Pocahontas, Keyesport |
| Pleasant Mound | — | Greenville (part), Pleasant Mound |
| Lagrange | — | Sorento |
| Mills | — | Panama |
| Burgess | — | Donnellson |
| Old Ripley | — | Old Ripley |
| Tamalco | — | Tamalco |
The U.S. Census Bureau does not publish separate population figures for Illinois civil townships in the standard county profile, so per-township counts are omitted here rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 62246 — Greenville (also serves Pleasant Mound and Old Ripley)
- 62275 — Pocahontas
- 62262 — Mulberry Grove
- 62086 — Sorento
- 62273 — Pierron
- 62145 — Panama
- 62019 — Donnellson
- 62253 — Keyesport
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Beaver Creek, Durley, Hookdale, Reno, Stubblefield, Tamalco, and Woburn use the ZIP code of the nearest post-office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Bond County lies on the till plains of south-central Illinois, a landscape of row-crop farmland broken by Shoal Creek and its tributaries in the south and east of the county. Carlyle Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir, reaches into the county’s southeastern corner near Keyesport. Elevation across the county is gentle, ranging from roughly 400 to 650 feet above sea level.
Bond County borders Montgomery County to the north, Fayette County to the east, Clinton County to the south, and Madison County to the west.
Demographics
Bond County’s population was 16,725 at the 2020 census. Greenville is by far the largest community, with 7,083 residents — more than 40 percent of the county’s total — followed by Pocahontas as the second-largest incorporated place. The county’s median household income runs below the Illinois median of $80,306, typical of a rural southern Illinois county built on farming and a small manufacturing base. Population density is about 44 people per square mile, concentrated around Greenville and the I-70 corridor.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — corn and soybeans on the county’s flat glacial-till soils — remains the backbone of the Bond County economy, supplemented by grain handling and light manufacturing along the Interstate 70 corridor. Greenville University, a private Christian liberal-arts university founded in 1892, is the county’s largest non-farm employer and anchors the city’s economy and civic life. The Bond County Fair, held each summer in Greenville, is the county’s biggest annual event.
History
Bond County was organized in 1817, carved out of Madison County, and named for Shadrach Bond, then the Illinois Territory’s delegate to Congress, who went on to become the state’s first governor in 1818. At the time of its creation it was one of the larger counties in the Illinois Territory, later ceding land to form parts of neighboring counties as the state’s map filled in. Greenville, platted soon after the county’s organization, was chosen as county seat for its central location.
Getting There
Interstate 70 crosses the county east–west through Greenville, with U.S. Route 40 running parallel and Illinois Routes 127, 140, and 143 serving the smaller villages.
- St. Louis, MO — 45 miles west
- Vandalia, IL — 20 miles east
- Carlyle, IL — 20 miles south
- Springfield, IL — 65 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is St. Louis Lambert International Airport, about an hour’s drive west via I-70.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Bond County?
It is in south-central Illinois, about 45 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri, along the Interstate 70 corridor.
What is the population of Bond County?
16,725 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Bond County?
383 square miles (990 km2), of which 380 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Bond County?
Greenville is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Bond County?
One city (Greenville) and eight incorporated villages, plus several unincorporated communities, across nine civil townships.
What ZIP codes are in Bond County?
Greenville’s ZIP is 62246; other villages include 62275 (Pocahontas), 62262 (Mulberry Grove), 62086 (Sorento), 62273 (Pierron), 62145 (Panama), 62019 (Donnellson), and 62253 (Keyesport).
What is Bond County known for?
Greenville University, a private Christian liberal-arts college founded in 1892, and its position on the I-70 corridor between St. Louis and Vandalia.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Illinois.