At the time of its formation, it encompassed about one third of the territory, but it was reduced to its present borders by 1831 as it spawned new counties.

Crawford County was home to several battles between the settlers and Indians, and also the location of the only woman ever hanged in Illinois.

[6] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 19,817 people, 7,763 households, and 5,154 families living in the county.

The last Democrat to gain a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide, although Bill Clinton won a plurality in 1992.

Like all the rural Upland South, Crawford County has shown dramatic swings against the Democratic Party in recent elections, with Hillary Clinton’s 22.8 percent in 2016 the worst performance ever by a Democrat.