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County · code 17053

Ford CountyIllinois

Ford County is a county in Illinois with its seat in Paxton. It was created on April 5, 1859, and named after Thomas Ford.

  • Founded1859
  • County seatPaxton
  • Named forThomas Ford
  • Land area486 sq mi + 0.6 sq mi water
  • Population13,534 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped10,691 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Ford County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

IroquoisLivingstonChampaignMcLeanVermilionKankakee Paxton Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Ford on the map of Illinois

Illinois has 102 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adams CountyAlexander CountyBond CountyBoone CountyBrown CountyBureau CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyChampaign CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyColes CountyCook CountyCrawford CountyCumberland CountyDeKalb CountyDe Witt CountyDouglas CountyDuPage CountyEdgar CountyEdwards CountyEffingham CountyFayette CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGallatin CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyIroquois CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJersey CountyJo Daviess CountyJohnson CountyKane CountyKankakee CountyKendall CountyKnox CountyLake CountyLaSalle CountyLawrence CountyLee CountyLivingston CountyLogan CountyMcDonough CountyMcHenry CountyMcLean CountyMacon CountyMacoupin CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMason CountyMassac CountyMenard CountyMercer CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyMoultrie CountyOgle CountyPeoria CountyPerry CountyPiatt CountyPike CountyPope CountyPulaski CountyPutnam CountyRandolph CountyRichland CountyRock Island CountySt. Clair CountySaline CountySangamon CountySchuyler CountyScott CountyShelby CountyStark CountyStephenson CountyTazewell CountyUnion CountyVermilion CountyWabash CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWhite CountyWhiteside CountyWill CountyWilliamson CountyWinnebago CountyWoodford CountyFord County Ford
Counties of Illinois · Ford highlighted

History

Formed in 1859 from Vermilion County and Holmes County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Ford County was created in 1859 from non-county area attached to Vermilion County, with an earlier unsuccessful attempt to create Holmes County in the same location in 1857.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1859
    Ford County created Ford created from all of Non-County Area 4 attached to Vermilion; Non-County Area 4 eliminated. An earlier attempt to create Holmes (proposed), on 31 January 1857 in the same general area, was unsuccessful.
    from Vermilionfrom Holmes
    · Ill. Laws 1859, pub., pp. 29-33

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Ford

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Ford by the Census

Population
13,534 2020 Census count
Housing units
6,265 2020 Census count
Land area
486 square miles
Water area
0.6 square miles
People per sq mi
28 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Ford County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Ford County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

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Questions

Common questions about Ford County

When was Ford County founded?
Ford County was founded in 1859, formed from Vermilion County and Holmes County, and named after Thomas Ford.
What is the county seat of Ford County?
The county seat of Ford County is Paxton.
Is there an online parcel map for Ford County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 10,691 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Ford County's boundary or name changed?
Ford County was created in 1859 from Vermilion County and Holmes County. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records no boundary change since.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Ford County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door