Sumner is a city in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States.

Sumner was established as a stop along the Ohio and Mississippi Railway in the early 1850s.

Initially known as "Black Jack" when a post office was opened in 1852, the city was renamed for Benjamin Sumner, an early settler, in 1855.

Males had a median income of $23,068 versus $21,999 for females[7]—although Lawrence County ranks as one of the worst in the country for men of prime working age, 25-54, who are willing to work, according to a New York Times study, which shows 84 percent of that gender and age group not in the workforce.

Males represent about 90 percent of the population[9] when the figures include the Lawrence Correctional Center.