Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,951 at the 2020 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15. Geography Beardstown is located at (40.012189, -90.428711) on the Illinois River. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Beardstown has a total area of , of which (or 99.21%) is land and (or 0.79%) is water. Economy 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. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 5,951 people, 2,155 households, and 1,352 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,368 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 50.56% White, 11.39% African American, 1.71% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.49% Pacific Islander, 23.71% from other races, and 10.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.43% of the population. There were 2,155 households, out of which 61.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.97% were married couples living together, 15.13% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.26% were non-families. 32.76% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 2.50. The city's age distribution consisted of 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,425, and the median income for a family was $49,500. Males had a median income of $36,764 versus $25,108 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,599. About 20.2%