La Fayette (named after Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, pronounced locally “Lay – fay – et”) is a village in Stark County, Illinois. It is located south of Kewanee off Route 78 on Route 17|IL-17 (Madison Street). The population was 223 at the 2010 census, down from 227 in 2000. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Once a prominent strip coal mine and farming village with; a general store, high school(until 1970), hotel, bank, grain elevator, train depot, and many extra features and amenities. Once the coal mines shut alongside and railroad was removed in the prematurely 1980s, it slowly became a low income and tall poverty village like many people touching away and it eventually diminished to the hollow shell of what it like was.

La Fayette is located at 41°6′35″N 89°58′25″W / 41.10972°N 89.97361°W / 41.10972; -89.97361 (41.109825, -89.973632).

According to the 2010 census, La Fayette has a total area of 0.19 square miles (0.49 km), all land.

As of the census of 2000, there were 227 people, 91 households, and 63 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,235.2 inhabitants per square mile (476.9/km²). There were 93 housing units at an average density of 506.0 per square mile (195.4/km). The racial makeup of the village was 96.48% White, 0.44% Asian, 1.76% from extra races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population.