Illinois Is America’s #10 Amish State — Here Are Its 10 Biggest Communities

Illinois is home to America’s tenth-largest Amish population. Over 9,000 Amish live in around 20 settlements across the state, though more than six in ten of them live in just one community.

These ten communities are the largest in Illinois, based on the most current Amish population estimates.

Population numbers via Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (source link at bottom).

1. Arthur

Arthur/Arcola (Moultrie, Douglas & Coles Counties)
Community founded: 1864
Total Amish population: 5,790

The state’s largest Amish settlement is also by far its oldest. Founded in 1864, the Arthur community spreads across three counties in east-central Illinois. At around 5,800 people and 33 church districts (congregations), it’s the eighth-largest Amish settlement in North America.

Many Amish here work in furniture and other wood businesses, and the community has a fairly developed tourism scene, including the Illinois Amish Heritage Center at Arcola.

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2. Ava

Ava (Jackson County)
Community founded: 1991
Total Amish population: 470

After Arthur, there’s a steep drop-off. Ava, in Jackson County in southern Illinois, is the state’s second-largest community at around 470 people, less than a tenth the size of Arthur. Founded in 1991, it’s also the second-oldest, and now numbers four church districts.

Ava is a New Order Amish community, and one of the few horse-and-buggy Amish settlements that permit public electricity.

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3. Opdyke

Opdyke (Jefferson County)
Community founded: 1995
Total Amish population: 460

Just behind Ava is Opdyke, also known by the name of nearby Belle Rive, in Jefferson County in southern Illinois. It has grown to three church districts since its founding in 1995. The settlement traces its origins to the Amish in Delaware. Some tractor use is permitted here as well as implements with rubber tires, two signs of a more progressive group.

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4. Macomb/Colchester

Macomb/Colchester (McDonough County)
Community founded: 1993
Total Amish population: 350

The Macomb/Colchester settlement lies in McDonough County in western Illinois. Founded in 1993, this community is more conservative than the Arthur Amish, visible in the homes and other material signs in the community.

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5. Oblong

Oblong (Crawford County)
Community founded: 2006
Total Amish population: 340

The Oblong community is one of several in Crawford County. Founded in 2006, it numbers two church districts. Crawford County is home to two more small settlements, at Flat Rock and Sumner.

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6. Johnsonville

Johnsonville (Wayne County)
Community founded: 2008
Total Amish population: 335

At nearly the same size as Oblong is the community at Johnsonville, in Wayne County in southeastern Illinois. Founded in 2008, it’s the youngest community in the state’s top ten, and numbers two church districts. Wayne County has proven attractive to Amish settling in the state, as it turns up twice more on this list.

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7. Galatia/Thompsonville

Galatia/Thompsonville (Saline & Franklin Counties)
Community founded: 2007
Total Amish population: 185

With another steep drop in size we come to the Galatia/Thompsonville community, found in both Saline and Franklin Counties in southern Illinois. Its roots are in a Wisconsin Amish settlement. Founded in 2007, it has grown to two church districts in size.

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8. Orchardville

Orchardville (Clay & Wayne Counties)
Community founded: 2007
Total Amish population: 180

Orchardville is located in Wayne County, with some Amish living in neighboring Clay County. It’s one of the few communities on this list that has gotten smaller in recent years. In 2021 the Young Center counted two districts and around 240 people here; it has since contracted to one district.

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9. Roseville

Roseville (Warren County)
Community founded: 2007
Total Amish population: 165

Roseville, in Warren County, is the second western Illinois settlement on the list, a short drive north of #4 Macomb. Founded in 2007, it numbers two church districts.

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10. Cisne/Fairfield

Cisne/Fairfield (Wayne County)
Community founded: 2002
Total Amish population: 160

Rounding out the top ten is Cisne/Fairfield, the third Wayne County entry on this list. Founded in 2002, it numbers two church districts. Though it’s a top ten community for the state, at under 200 people it would be considered a “small” settlement otherwise.

For more on Amish communities in the Prairie State, check out our Illinois Amish state guide.

See also:

1. Pennsylvania’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
2. Ohio’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
3. Indiana’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
4. Wisconsin’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
5. New York’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
6. Michigan’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
7. Missouri’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
8. Kentucky’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
9. Iowa’s 10 Largest Amish Communities
10. Illinois’ 10 Largest Amish Communities

Population numbers sourced from the Young Center (Elizabethtown College) Amish Settlement List.