DeWitt County is a county in Illinois, United States, in the east-central part of the state between Bloomington and Decatur. It had a population of 15,516 at the 2020 census and covers 405 square miles (1,050 km2) centred near 40°10′N 88°54′W.
Clinton is the county seat, and its postal code is 61727. The county has two incorporated cities, five incorporated villages, and about a dozen smaller unincorporated communities, spread across 13 civil townships. DeWitt County lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in DeWitt County
DeWitt County has seven incorporated places and a wider scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities. The table below carries over every settlement name recorded for the county; places with no verified population figure are marked with a dash. Type key: City · seat = county seat, CDP = census-designated place, Unincorp. = unincorporated community.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | City · seat | Clintonia | — | 61727 |
| Farmer City | City | Santa Anna | — | 61842 |
| DeWitt | Village | DeWitt | — | 61735 |
| Kenney | Village | — | — | 61749 |
| Wapella | Village | Wapella | — | 61777 |
| Waynesville | Village | Waynesville | — | 61778 |
| Weldon | Village | — | — | 61882 |
| Birkbeck | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bucks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Carle Springs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fullerton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hallsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jenkins | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lane | Unincorp. | — | — | 61750 |
| Midland City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ospur | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Parnell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rowell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Solomon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tabor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tunbridge | Unincorp. | Tunbridge | — | — |
| Watkins | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Farmer City sits on the DeWitt County line and also touches Piatt and McLean counties, so a small share of the city’s population is recorded outside DeWitt County in federal data.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Barnett | — | — |
| Clintonia | — | Clinton |
| Creek | — | — |
| DeWitt | — | DeWitt |
| Harp | — | — |
| Nixon | — | — |
| Rutledge | — | — |
| Santa Anna | — | Farmer City (part) |
| Texas | — | — |
| Tunbridge | — | — |
| Wapella | — | Wapella |
| Waynesville | — | Waynesville |
| Wilson | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 61727 — Clinton
- 61842 — Farmer City
- 61735 — DeWitt
- 61749 — Kenney
- 61777 — Wapella
- 61778 — Waynesville
- 61882 — Weldon
- 61750 — Lane (post office box station)
The smaller unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
DeWitt County sits on gently rolling farmland in east-central Illinois. Clinton Lake, a reservoir built to cool the county’s nuclear power plant, is the largest body of water and a focus for local recreation. The North Fork of the Salt Creek and Salt Creek itself cross the county and feed the lake. Farmland covers most of the land area, with row-crop agriculture dominant.
DeWitt County borders McLean County to the north, Piatt County to the east, Macon County to the south, and Logan County to the west.
Demographics
DeWitt County had 15,516 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 39 people per square mile across its 398 square miles of land. Clinton and Farmer City are the county’s two largest communities. County-level household income figures were not independently verified for this profile; as a rural downstate county, DeWitt has historically trailed the Illinois median household income of $80,306.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, mainly corn and soybeans, is the base of the county’s economy. The Clinton Power Station, a nuclear plant operated by Constellation Energy on Clinton Lake, is one of the county’s largest employers and taxpayers. Clinton’s downtown square, built around the DeWitt County Courthouse, anchors local retail and services. The county fair and events on Clinton Lake draw visitors from the surrounding region.
History
DeWitt County was organized on March 1, 1839, formed from parts of Macon and McLean counties. It was named for DeWitt Clinton, the seventh governor of New York, though the U.S. Census Bureau and USGS record the county’s name with a space, “De Witt,” while local usage keeps it as one word, “DeWitt.” Clinton was platted as the county seat the same year the county was formed.
Getting There
Illinois Routes 10, 48, and 54 cross the county and meet in Clinton. Interstate 74 passes roughly 20 miles to the north through Bloomington-Normal.
- Bloomington-Normal — about 25 miles north
- Decatur — about 25 miles south
- Champaign-Urbana — about 35 miles east
- Springfield — about 45 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is DeWitt County, Illinois?
It is in east-central Illinois, between Bloomington-Normal and Decatur.
What is the population of DeWitt County?
15,516 people at the 2020 census.
How big is DeWitt County?
405 square miles (1,050 km2), of which about 7.6 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of DeWitt County?
Clinton is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in DeWitt County?
Two incorporated cities, five incorporated villages, and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in DeWitt County?
Clinton is 61727, with Farmer City, DeWitt, Kenney, Wapella, Waynesville, and Weldon each holding their own ZIP code.
Why is the county name spelled two different ways?
The U.S. Census Bureau and USGS list it as “De Witt,” while the county and most local usage write it as one word, “DeWitt.”
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Illinois.