Schuyler County is a county in Illinois, United States, on the west-central prairie between the Illinois and Mississippi river valleys. It had a population of 6,902 at the 2020 census and covers 441 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 437 square miles (1,130 km2) is land, centred near 40°10′N 90°37′W.
Rushville is the county seat, and its postal code is 62681. The county has one city, three villages, and about a dozen unincorporated communities, spread across 13 civil townships. Schuyler County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Schuyler County
Rushville is the county’s only incorporated city; Browning, Camden, and Littleton are its three villages. The rest of the county’s named places are unincorporated communities and rural crossroads — CDP is not used in Schuyler County. Populations below are 2020 census figures where the place is incorporated; unincorporated places have no separate census count and are marked with —.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushville | City · seat | Rushville | 3,005 | 62681 |
| Browning | Village | Browning | — | 62624 |
| Camden | Village | Camden | — | 62319 |
| Littleton | Village | Littleton | — | 61452 |
| Bader | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Birmingham | Unincorp. | Birmingham | — | — |
| Bluff City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brooklyn | Unincorp. | Brooklyn | — | — |
| Doddsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Erwin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Frederick | Unincorp. | Frederick | — | 62639 |
| Huntsville | Unincorp. | Huntsville | — | 62344 |
| Mindale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oakland Center | Unincorp. | Oakland | — | — |
| Pleasant View | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ray | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Scotts Mill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sheldons Grove | Unincorp. | Hickory | — | — |
| Sugar Grove | Unincorp. | Woodstock | — | — |
| Wayland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two township-named places deserve a note: Birmingham and Brooklyn are unincorporated hamlets, not villages, despite each sharing its name with its home township. The same pattern holds for Frederick and Huntsville.
Townships
Individual 2020 township population counts were not verified for this profile; the table below gives each township’s name and its principal named place where one is confirmed.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Rushville | — | Rushville (county seat) |
| Browning | — | Browning |
| Camden | — | Camden |
| Littleton | — | Littleton |
| Frederick | — | Frederick |
| Huntsville | — | Huntsville |
| Birmingham | — | Birmingham |
| Brooklyn | — | Brooklyn |
| Bainbridge | — | Rural, no incorporated place |
| Buena Vista | — | Rural, no incorporated place |
| Hickory | — | Sheldons Grove |
| Oakland | — | Oakland Center |
| Woodstock | — | Sugar Grove |
ZIP Codes
- 62681 — Rushville (also serves the surrounding townships and Bader, Birmingham, Bluff City)
- 62624 — Browning
- 62319 — Camden
- 61452 — Littleton
- 62639 — Frederick
- 62344 — Huntsville
Several of the county’s smaller hamlets, including Doddsville, Erwin, Mindale, Oakland Center, Pleasant View, Ray, Scotts Mill, Sheldons Grove, Sugar Grove, and Wayland, have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Schuyler County sits on the rolling till plains between the Illinois River to the east and the Mississippi River basin to the west, drained chiefly by Crooked Creek and Sugar Creek. Most of the county is farmland, with wooded bluffs along the creek bottoms; 4.1 square miles (11 km2), about 0.9 percent of the county, is water.
Schuyler County borders Hancock County to the northwest, McDonough County to the north, Fulton County to the northeast, Mason County to the east, Cass County to the southeast, Brown County to the south, and Adams County to the southwest.
Demographics
Schuyler County had 6,902 residents at the 2020 census, down from 7,544 in 2010. Rushville, with 3,005 residents, is by far the largest place in the county; the next-largest are the villages of Browning, Camden, and Littleton. Population density is about 15.8 people per square mile of land. The Illinois median household income is $80,306 (2023 ACS); a county-specific figure was not independently verified for this profile, but sparsely populated downstate counties like Schuyler typically report lower median earnings than the state as a whole.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — corn and soybeans on the till-plain farmland, with some livestock — is the backbone of the county economy, supplemented by small manufacturing and public-sector employment centred in Rushville. Schuyler-Industry Community Unit School District 5 operates the county’s schools, including Rushville-Industry High School, and Spoon River College maintains a learning center in Rushville for local students pursuing associate degrees and workforce training.
History
Schuyler County was organized in 1825 out of territory taken from Pike and Fulton counties. The county seat moved from an early site at Beardstown to Rushville in 1826. The county is named for Philip Schuyler, a Continental Congress delegate, Revolutionary War general, and later a United States Senator from New York — he never lived in Illinois, a common pattern for counties named to honor Founding-era statesmen.
Getting There
U.S. Route 24 and U.S. Route 67 cross the county, along with Illinois Routes 99, 100, 101, and 103, giving Rushville road access in every direction.
- Macomb — 24 miles north
- Quincy — 32 miles southwest
- Beardstown — 20 miles east
- Springfield — 60 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Quincy Regional Airport, about 35 miles southwest of Rushville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Schuyler County, Illinois?
It sits in west-central Illinois between the Illinois and Mississippi river valleys, roughly 60 miles southeast of Springfield.
What is the population of Schuyler County?
6,902 at the 2020 census, down from 7,544 in 2010.
How big is Schuyler County?
441 square miles (1,140 km2) in total, of which 437 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Schuyler County?
Rushville is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Schuyler County?
One city (Rushville) and three villages (Browning, Camden, Littleton), plus about a dozen unincorporated communities across 13 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Schuyler County?
62681 (Rushville), 62624 (Browning), 62319 (Camden), 61452 (Littleton), 62639 (Frederick), and 62344 (Huntsville).
Why is it called Schuyler County?
It is named for Philip Schuyler, a Continental Congress member, Revolutionary War general, and New York Senator.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Illinois.