Galesburg Reporter

In a list of the 30 most populous counties in Illinois, Knox County ranked No. 16 for the rate of abortions performed there in 2016, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.

The abortion rate for Knox County was 0.12 percent.

Cook and Peoria counties had the highest abortion rates in Illinois in 2016, the department reported.

The report also tracks the age and marital status of the abortion recipient and the pregnancy term at the time of the abortion.

Of the 30 most-populated counties in Illinois, Rock Island, with 147,514 residents, boasted the lowest abortion rate, reporting fewer than 50 abortions performed in 2016.

In contrast, Tazewell County (136,122) reported 197, and La Salle (112,994) reported 141. Adams (county seat: Quincy), Whiteside (Morrison), Coles (Charleston) and Henry (Geneseo) also reported fewer than 50 abortions.

Cook County recorded 21,747 abortions in 2016 – a per-capita rate of 0.42 percent.

Peoria had 472, a rate of 0.25 percent – more than twice the rate in Lake and McHenry counties.

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2016 Illinois Abortions Per Capita

County	Population	Abortions	Per Capita
Cook	5,227,992	21,747	0.42%
Peoria	187,255	472	0.25%
St. Clair	268,714	519	0.19%
Will	681,590	1,202	0.18%
DuPage	927,418	1,504	0.16%
Sangamon	199,269	319	0.16%
DeKalb	104,622	167	0.16%
Kane	521,306	815	0.16%
Madison	267,899	391	0.15%
Tazewell	136,122	197	0.14%
Kendall	118,108	165	0.14%
Jackson	60,113	80	0.13%
McLean	172,295	229	0.13%
La Salle	112,944	141	0.12%
Grundy	50,208	61	0.12%
Knox	52,254	62	0.12%
McHenry	307,729	360	0.12%
Kankakee	112,847	132	0.12%
Lake	701,219	817	0.12%
Macon	109,978	114	0.10%
Winnebago	291,844	288	0.10%
Williamson	66,714	65	0.10%
Ogle	52,850	51	0.10%
Vermilion	80,715	65	0.08%
Champaign	203,435	111	0.05%
Rock Island	147,514	<50	N/A
Adams	67,243	<50	N/A
Whiteside	57,832	<50	N/A
Coles	53,659	<50	N/A
Henry	50,177	<50	N/A

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health