Beardstown, Illinois

Beardstown
City
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cass
Elevation	443 ft (135 m)
Coordinates	40°0′44″N 90°25′43″W / 40.01222°N 90.42861°W / 40.01222; -90.42861
Area	3.62 sq mi (9 km2)
- land	3.57 sq mi (9 km2)
- water	0.06 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	6,123 (2010)
Density	1,692.1/sq mi (653/km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62618
Area code	217
Location of Beardstown within Illinois

Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,123 at the 2010 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15.

Beardstown is located at 40°0′44″N 90°25′43″W / 40.01222°N 90.42861°W / 40.01222; -90.42861 (40.012189, -90.428711) on the Illinois River.

According to the 2010 census, Beardstown has a total area of 3.627 square miles (9.39 km²), of which 3.57 square miles (9.25 km²) (or 98.43%) is land and 0.057 square miles (0.15 km²) (or 1.57%) is water.

Beardstown is located on the Illinois River, which plays an important role in the economy and history of the community, and is the site of two grain terminals where farm products are transferred to barges for transport. Hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation along the river contribute to the local economy.

A large pork slaughterhouse, formerly owned by Kraft and Cargill now by JBS, is a major employer and has attracted a substantial immigrant population to Beardstown in recent years.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,766 people, 2,172 households, and 1,437 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,692.1 people per square mile (652.9/km²). There were 2,339 housing units at an average density of 686.4 per square mile (264.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.76% White, 0.87% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.01% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.90% of the population.