Payson

History

Payson was laid out in the Spring of 1835.

During the 1860 presidential campaign, the residents of Payson erected a pole on which they hung banners supporting the Democratic candidate, Stephen Douglas, and an effigy of Abraham Lincoln riding a rail. This resulted in two confrontations with the Quincy Wide Awakes, the Republican paramilitary organization, on August 25–26, 1860. During the second confrontation, shots were fired at the Wide Awakes, resulting in injuries. This action was related to the "Stone's Prairie Riot" at nearby Plainville.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Payson has a total area of 1.17 square miles (3.03 km2), all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Payson had a population of 1,025. The median age was 34.4 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.5 males age 18 and over.

The population density was 876.07 inhabitants per square mile (338.25/km2). There were 407 housing units at an average density of 347.86 per square mile (134.31/km2). 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 375 households in Payson, of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.7% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 407 housing units, of which 7.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the village was $62,813, and the median income for a family was $66,389. Males had a median income of $37,125 versus $25,278 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,765. About 5.8% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education is provided at Payson-Seymour Elementary School and Payson-Seymour High School.

Education

The school district is Payson Community Unit School District 1. The comprehensive high school of that district is Payson-Seymour High School.

Notable people

Mary Frances Leach, educator and chemist

Anna Kay Scott, medical missionary in India and China

Ralph Works, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers