In summer 1904, when coal was discovered at today's Sesser, the area was a prairie covered with wheat and corn fields. By 1906, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad had extended its lines south from Centralia to Sesser, and the new town was named after railroad surveyor John Sesser.[5]
The first mine in Sesser, the Keller Mine, was sunk in 1905-1906.[5]
In 1906, Sesser was incorporated as a village. It re-incorporated as a city in 1909.[5]
Old Ben Coal Mine No. 16, also called Sesser Mine, operated from 1905-1923.[6]
Subsidence resulting from longwall mining at the Old Ben No. 21 mine, by Old Ben Coal Company, was a concern for some local homeowners in the 1980s.[7] The No. 21 mine, opened in 1952, was idled in 1991.[6]
The Sesser Opera House, built in 1914, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sesser has a total area of 1.03 square miles (2.67 km2), of which 1.03 square miles (2.67 km2) (or 99.90%) is land and 0.00 square miles (0.00 km2) (or 0.10%) is water.[10]
As of the 2020 census[3] there were 1,888 people, 689 households, and 485 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,831.23 inhabitants per square mile (707.04/km2). There were 932 housing units at an average density of 903.98 per square mile (349.03/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.59% White, 0.32% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 5.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.
There were 689 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.81% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.61% were non-families. 25.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.55% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 2.47.
The city's age distribution consisted of 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,375, and the median income for a family was $66,875. Males had a median income of $42,917 versus $32,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,785. About 4.7% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
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