29,903 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.6% since 2020)
575 square miles of land · 52 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
14 active community water systems list Randolph County in the area they serve, reporting 30,132 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CHESTER surface water · local government · IL1570100 | 8,407 served |
| SPARTA surface water · local government · IL1570600 | 4,395 served |
| RED BUD groundwater · local government · IL1570450 | 3,804 served |
| MENARD CORRECTIONAL CENTER buys surface water · state · IL1575550 | 2,950 served |
| EGYPTIAN WATER COMPANY buys surface water · private · IL1570010 | 2,543 served |
| STEELEVILLE groundwater · local government · IL1570650 | 1,960 served |
| TILDEN buys surface water · local government · IL1570700 | 1,350 served |
| COULTERVILLE buys surface water · local government · IL1570150 | 1,052 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 25 people were held in Randolph County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2023), or 132 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2018 it was about 26.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
6 school districts have their office in Randolph County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $24.1 million — $18.8 million to run schools, about $15,997 per student, plus $3.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.2 million local (mostly property tax), $12.9 million state, $2.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $14.2 million.
Spent $19.9 million — $14.6 million to run schools, about $14,178 per student, plus $4.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.2 million local (mostly property tax), $12.1 million state, $1.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $11 million.
Spent $14.9 million — $13.4 million to run schools, about $14,256 per student, plus $398,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5 million local (mostly property tax), $10 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $7 million.
Spent $5.9 million — $5.4 million to run schools, about $13,347 per student, plus $154,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.3 million local (mostly property tax), $3.6 million state, $814,000 federal. Long-term debt: $2.6 million.
Spent $3.2 million — $2.9 million to run schools, about $13,406 per student, plus $123,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.2 million local (mostly property tax), $2.3 million state, $385,000 federal. Long-term debt: $861,000.
Spent $2.1 million — $1.9 million to run schools, about $14,667 per student, plus $39,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $605,000 local (mostly property tax), $1.6 million state, $312,000 federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Randolph County about $35.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
149 bridges in Randolph County: 87 in good condition, 52 fair, and 10 poor (6.7%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| ILL 150 over MISS RIV/FAU 9416 · built 1942 | 6,250 vehicles a day |
| ILL 3 over HORSE CREEK OVERFLOW · built 1952 | 4,650 vehicles a day |
| ILL 154 over PLUM CREEK · built 1972 | 2,900 vehicles a day |
| ILL 153 over MARYS RIVER · built 1934 | 1,600 vehicles a day |
| TR 232 over COX CREEK · built 1981 | 275 vehicles a day |
| TR 119 over MARYS RIVER · built 1965 | 225 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $61.9 million of work in Randolph County in fiscal 2025, about $2,052 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
Registration deadlines, early voting and polling places for Illinois are on the federal site vote.gov, which links to the state's official election office.
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Randolph County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Randolph County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Illinois: the state government and every county in Illinois.
Nearby counties: Ste. Genevieve County, MO (22 mi) · Perry County, MO (24 mi) · Perry County (25 mi) · Monroe County (25 mi) · St. Clair County (29 mi) · Washington County (30 mi).