Alexander County, Illinois

Alexander County
Alexander County
County
	Alexander County Courthouse in Cairo
	Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
	Illinois's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°11′N 89°20′W / 37.19°N 89.34°W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1819
Named for	William M. Alexander
Seat	Cairo
Largest city	Cairo
Area
• Total	253 sq mi (660 km2)
• Land	236 sq mi (610 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2) 6.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	5,240
• Estimate (2023)	4,695
• Density	21/sq mi (8.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.alexandercountyil.com

Alexander County is the southernmost and southwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,240.^[1] Its county seat is Cairo^[2] and its western boundary is formed by the Mississippi River.

Alexander County is part of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area which is made up of jurisdictions on both sides of the Mississippi River.

^ Cite error: The named reference 2020 Census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.