Pope County
Also known as Pope County, Illinois, Pope County, IL
county in Illinois, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Illinois
- Named after
- Nathaniel Pope
- Seat
- Golconda
- Largest city
- Golconda
- Total
- 374 sq mi (970 km )
- Land
- 369 sq mi (960 km )
- Water
- 5.5 sq mi (14 km ) 1.5%
- Estimate 2025
- 3,672
- Density
- 10.2/sq mi (3.94/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−6 ( Central )
- Summer dst
- UTC−5 ( CDT )
- Congressional district
- 12th
Article
Pope County is the southeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,763, making it the second-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Golconda. The county was organized in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson counties and named after Nathaniel Pope, a politician and jurist from the Illinois Territory and State of Illinois.
History