Wayne County is a county in Illinois, United States, in the region locally called “Little Egypt.” It had a population of 16,179 at the 2020 census and covers 715 square miles (1,850 km2) centred near 38°26′N 88°25′W.
Fairfield is the county seat, and its postal code is 62837. The county has one city, eight villages and about two dozen unincorporated communities, grouped into 20 civil townships. Wayne County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Wayne County
Wayne County has 34 named places on record: one city (the seat), eight incorporated villages, and 25 unincorporated communities and crossroads. “CDP” denotes a Census-Designated Place with its own population count; “Unincorp.” denotes a community with no incorporated government and, usually, no separately tallied population.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | City · seat | Barnhill | 5,073 | 62837 |
| Cisne | Village | — | — | 62823 |
| Golden Gate | Village | — | — | — |
| Jeffersonville | Village | — | — | — |
| Johnsonville | Village | — | — | 62850 |
| Keenes | Village | — | — | — |
| Mount Erie | Village | Mount Erie | — | — |
| Sims | Village | — | — | — |
| Wayne City | Village | — | — | 62895 |
| Barnhill | Unincorp. | Barnhill | — | — |
| Blue Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Boyleston | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Campbell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cincinnati | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Covington | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Crisp | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ellery | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fairfield Estates | Unincorp. | Barnhill | — | — |
| Geff | Unincorp. | — | — | 62842 |
| Hubbard | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keenesville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Klines Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mayberry | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Merriam | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Middleton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mill Shoals | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Orchardville | Unincorp. | Orchard | — | — |
| Rinard | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Round Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Scottsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Smithville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Toms Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Zenith | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Keenes and Keenesville are two distinct places despite the similar names — Keenes is an incorporated village, Keenesville a separate unincorporated crossroads a few miles away. Fairfield Estates is a small unincorporated subdivision on the edge of Fairfield itself, not a separate town.
Townships
Wayne County is divided into 20 civil townships. Verified 2020 township-level population figures were not available for this update, so the table below lists the townships without a population column; several carry the name of a village or community that sits within their boundaries.
| Township | Notable settlement |
|---|---|
| Barnhill | Barnhill |
| Mount Erie | Mount Erie |
| Arrington | — |
| Bedford | — |
| Berry | — |
| Big Mound | — |
| Elm River | — |
| Four Mile | — |
| Garden Hill | — |
| Grover | — |
| Hickory Hill | — |
| Indian Prairie | — |
| Jasper | — |
| Keith | — |
| Lamard | — |
| Leech | — |
| Massilon | — |
| Orchard | Orchardville |
| Orel | — |
| Zif | — |
ZIP Codes
- 62837 — Fairfield (county seat)
- 62823 — Cisne
- 62842 — Geff
- 62850 — Johnsonville
- 62895 — Wayne City
Several smaller villages and most unincorporated communities in the county share a ZIP code with a nearby post office town rather than having their own.
Geography
Wayne County lies in the Wabash Border section of southern Illinois, gently rolling farmland cut by creeks draining toward the Wabash River to the east. The Little Wabash River crosses the western part of the county. Of the county’s 715 square miles, 714 are land and 1.7 are water.
Wayne County borders Clay County to the north, Richland County to the northeast, Edwards County to the east, White County to the southeast, Hamilton County to the south, Jefferson County to the southwest, and Marion County to the northwest. Clay County, White County and Hamilton County also link out.
Demographics
Wayne County had 16,179 residents at the 2020 census. Fairfield, the county seat, is by far the largest community at just over 5,000 people; Wayne City is the largest of the villages. Median household income in the county runs well below the Illinois median of $80,306 — typical for this mostly rural, agricultural part of southern Illinois. Population density works out to roughly 23 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled counties in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county’s economy — corn, soybeans and livestock on the rolling farmland outside Fairfield — alongside oil production, which has run in Wayne County since the early 20th century and still supports local jobs. Fairfield Memorial Hospital and Wayne County’s school districts are among the larger local employers. Fairfield hosts the Wayne County Fair each summer, a long-running county-fair tradition drawing visitors from across southern Illinois.
History
Wayne County was organized in 1819, carved from Edwards County in the early years of Illinois statehood. It is named for General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, who served in the Revolutionary War and later commanded U.S. forces in the Northwest Indian War. Oil discoveries in the early 1900s brought a boom to the county that reshaped its economy alongside farming, a legacy still visible in scattered pumpjacks across the countryside today.
Getting There
Illinois Route 15 and Illinois Route 45 cross the county through Fairfield, connecting to Interstate 64 to the south.
- Mount Vernon — 20 miles southwest
- Olney — 20 miles northeast
- Effingham — 35 miles north
- Carbondale — 55 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro/Carbondale; St. Louis Lambert International Airport, about 100 miles west, offers a much wider range of flights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wayne County, Illinois?
Wayne County sits in the southeastern part of Illinois, in the region locals call “Little Egypt,” about 100 miles east of St. Louis.
What is the population of Wayne County?
Wayne County had a population of 16,179 at the 2020 census.
How big is Wayne County?
The county covers 715 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 714 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Wayne County?
Fairfield is the county seat and the county’s only city.
How many towns are in Wayne County?
The county has one city, eight incorporated villages, and about 25 unincorporated communities, spread across 20 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Wayne County?
Confirmed ZIP codes include 62837 (Fairfield), 62823 (Cisne), 62842 (Geff), 62850 (Johnsonville) and 62895 (Wayne City).
Why is Wayne County called “Little Egypt” country?
Wayne County lies within southern Illinois’s historic “Little Egypt” region, a nickname dating to the 1800s for the area’s river-bottom farmland and towns with names like Cairo and Thebes.
More counties in this state: Jefferson County, Illinois.